Benefits
by Rivendell101
Summary: ben·e·fit. /ˈbenəfit/ "An advantage or profit gained from something." Natsu and Lucy's relationship has benefits. The sex is just one of them. But how long can things last before "no stings attached" turns to blatant pining? Not long at all, apparently. {Friends with Benefits AU} (currently under revision!)
1. 1 Biceps and Benefits

**AN: New friends with benefits AU. There is smut. You have been warned. There is a plot here, but, uh, yeah, it's mostly smut. This will be updated every other week on Thursday. It would be every week, but these chapters are fucking long and I have like 5 other fics to work on. This will have roughly 15 parts.**

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 **Benefits**

 **Chapter One: Biceps and Benefits**

Lucy comes home from work to find Natsu in her apartment, a usual occurrence, though, not necessarily one she's encouraged over the years. Breaking and entering has been the usual when it comes to her goofy best friend. It started back in early high school. Lucy would leave her window open and Natsu would inevitably climb though, no matter the time or weather—it was particularly amusing to see Natsu climb through her window in the middle of a freeze-your-balls-off snowstorm, though that weekend was an adventure in its own right.

She had been strongly against it at first—the breaking and entering part, that is. Lucy has no issue with Natsu's presence, so long as he's not rifling through her underwear drawer—unnerved by him climbing in. Though, that had less to do with Natsu specifically, and more to do with the fact that if _Natsu_ could climb through her window, that meant other people could as well—this is, of course, an entirely inaccurate assumption on her part. She's never seen anyone spider-monkey their way up a wall like Natsu can.

She once make a joke about him being Spiderman, much to her friends' amusement. Natsu never denied this claim, and Lucy is pretty sure her friend was bitten by some weird radioactive animal. Probably a squirrel. Natsu had a bad habit of pissing them off in high school. Stealing their acorns and putting slinkys around birdfeeders. She's surprised the squirrels never tried to kill him in his sleep, if she's being honest.

After that, Lucy simply became used to her friend's constant presence, even enjoying it once college came around. Her roommate, Cana, found the whole thing hilarious and nearly pissed herself the first time Natsu crawled in through their third story window, ignoring the security guard screaming at him from the ground. Truthfully, Lucy liked him being around, considering Cana wasn't in the dorms on most nights, always away gallivanting with someone until she settled down with Kagura.

Lucy had never liked being alone, especially at night.

Which is why she stopped making a fuss about things when she moved into her apartment her junior year. She hated being alone, hated the way the tree outside her room would tap against the window when the wind would blow, hated how silent it all was, hated just about everything about it. She tried adopting a dog, but her landlord wouldn't allow it, much to her disappointment.

She was thankful for Natsu's bad habit then, it was less embarrassing for him to pop in than it would be to ask him to come over. A bit ridiculous, maybe, but Lucy certainly wasn't complaining. She _likes_ having him around. He gives her home just a little bit more life.

Lucy once jokingly told him he might as well move in, considering how often he's around. Gray had pitched a fit, accusing her of trying to steal his roommate and raise his rent. It took more reassurance than Lucy expected to convince Gray she wasn't, in fact, trying to conspire against him.

For the longest time, she was confused about Gray being a theater major, considering how deadpan and uninterested he always seems, but she was pleasantly surprised to see just how _dramatic_ the man could be. It was amusing, seeing the usually stoic man accusing her off trying to, quote unquote "steal his roommate."

As if she'd have to steal Natsu. If she had a spare room, she knows her friend would have already moved in ages ago.

So no, Lucy isn't surprised to find Natsu sitting on her couch when she comes home from work at ten at night, sweaty and exhausted. She isn't surprised to see her TV flickering or the pile of movies spread across the floor. And she isn't surprised hear her microwave already running. It's Friday, and Friday means movies and lots and lots of popcorn.

Natsu's hear snaps up as soon as she walks through the door, a heart-stopping grin splitting across his face when he sees her. His green eyes spark with mischief, his head tilting to one side as he drapes himself over the back of the couch. "Lucy!" he calls in greeting, his smile pulling at the ring in his lip.

Her own smile stutters as she notices the ugly, blue bruise blooming along his cheek, a split along his lower lip. It's bad, worse than usual, at the very least. Lucy knows that he enjoys fighting, likes the thrill of it, but she hates it. Not the fighting, that's never bothered her, but she hates to see him hurt. She's spent a lot of time wiping blood off of his face and wrapping his busted knuckles.

Natsu notices her staring and turns slightly, shifting his bruises out of her sight. His smile slips, though only for a moment before he's back to grinning at her, a teasing smile on his face.

"Hi, Natsu," she mumbles back, smile tired as she looks at him. His brow furrows at her lackluster response, eyes narrowing as he gives her a quick once-over. Lucy snorts as he checks her for damage, his lips twisting into a frown. Honestly, between the two of them, Lucy has the _much_ safer occupation. She doesn't understand why he acts like her job is so dangerous, she's not the one that comes home bruised on a regular basis.

Sure, her job at the bar can be terrible sometimes. Between Cana ducking away to make out with her girlfriend and Gajeel making doe eyes at Levy, Lucy usually ends up with more on her plate than she should, but overall the bar is a nice place. Mikhail Redfox is an excellent boss, even if his son is a pain in her ass, Lucy gets paid well, and people don't give her much trouble once they see Gajeel hanging around behind her.

Of course, there have been a few incidents at the Iron Dragon, but they were all _dealt with_ swiftly. Lucy pities the fool that messes with any of the Redfox bartenders.

There was one guy that grabbed her ass a few months back. Not the biggest deal, but enough to piss her off. When she complained about the customer, a regular, to Gajeel she wasn't expecting anything to be done about it. She just wanted to vent, that was all.

She was more than a little surprised to see the man come in the next day with a black eye and a nose that looked puffy and broken. He apologized, much to her bewilderment, though she thinks that might have had more to do with Gajeel hovering behind her, and not him actually being sorry.

And if Natsu had split knuckles when she came home, she pretended not to see them. She didn't thank him and she knew he wasn't expecting her to.

Regardless, compared to the trained _boxer_ and volunteer firefighter, her job is rather nonthreatening. He's getting beaten to hell and storming into burning buildings. The most dangerous thing Lucy's come across is that time she dropped a jar of pickles and cut open her palm. Granted, she did need stitches for that. Oops.

She still has a scar, and Lucy would be lying if she said it didn't make her feel like a badass.

Natsu starts to speak up when her microwave stars blaring, cutting him off. Lucy just sends him another smile, kicking off her shoes and dumping her bag on the floor, headless of the assortment of pens and notebooks spilling out. She'll get it later. It's Friday, so it's not like she's going to bother working on anything anyway. Besides, she's already done with finals. She turned in her Photography portfolio this morning, much to her relief.

"I'll go grab the popcorn," she tells him, flashing him a smile. He pouts as she turns on her heel, walking away from him, and Lucy stifles a giggle as she hears him flop back onto the couch, grumbling something she doesn't catch.

Lucy slips into the kitchen, humming to herself as she hears the Blu Ray player start up. Her nose wrinkles when she hears vaguely familiar music begin to play, but she can't place the sound. Not that it matters much to her. She's fine with Natsu picking the movies, considering she just likes to spend time with him.

Of course, there was that one time Natsu mistakenly obtained a rather… _adult_ film parody of a Disney film. They were five minutes into _"Moan"-ah_ before dicks were being whipped out, much to their collective horror.

Yeah, Natsu wasn't allowed to pick the movies for a _long_ time after that.

Lucy was especially horrified to find that the leading male looked a bit too much like her father for things not to be awkward. She wasn't able to look him in the eye for months after that little episode.

Natsu, of course, found the situation hilarious, much to her annoyance, but Lucy can see the humor in it now. At the time though? Absolutely mortified.

Lucy grabs a large bowl, knowing that it's easier if they just share. Having separate bowls is pointless. Natsu always ends up stealing her popcorn anyway. The _jerk_. She hisses as she pulls the bag out of the microwave, heat burning her fingertips, but she ignores it, pouting half-heartedly as she dumps the treat into her obnoxiously large bowl.

She all but skips back to the living room, barely sparing the TV a glance before she plops down on the couch beside Natsu, tossing her legs over his lap without a thought. His warm palm settle against her bare calves, thumbs brushing along her skin softly as she curls against his side, wriggling herself deep into the cushions. Natsu snorts, but his expression is fond as he reaches out to grab a handful of popcorn.

Lucy huffs at him, retaliating by digging her heel into his thigh. A moment later, she yelps, nearly dropping the bowl as Natsu pinches the underside of her thigh, just below the hem of her shorts.

Glaring, Lucy sticks out her tongue, much to Natsu's amusement. He snickers at her expression, poking a her side once before tossing his arm over the back of the couch, starting the movie with his other hand.

"What are we watching?" she asks, twisting around to better see the screen, absentmindedly pressing her side flush against his. Her skin prickles where she touches him, a familiar warmth flooding through her, and Lucy sighs happily, settling in against him. She snags a few pieces of popcorn, swatting away his hand when he goes for another grab.

He pouts down at her, then pinches her again, gaining a shriek of laughter from Lucy. She wriggles against him, legs flailing slightly, and Natsu chuckles at the disgruntled look she sends him. He meets her eyes, a fond expression on his face. " _Captain America_ ," he answers after a beat.

Lucy rolls her eyes, but there's an easy smile on her lips. "Really?" she scoffs, heaving a dramatic exhale and tilting her head back against the couch. "Another superhero movie?" Lucy clucks her tongue, but her gaze is joyful when she looks up at him. She yelps when Natsu reaches out to pinch her nose.

There are worse things they could be watching, she supposes, though superhero films aren't her favorite. Anything is better than parody porn, that's for sure.

Natsu frowns, eyes narrowing as he turns to Lucy. "You like Captain America," he reminds her, looking part offended and part confused. The movie flickers to life on the TV, but neither pay attention to the opening credits. Lucy is too busy staring at Natsu and he's too busy practically glaring at her.

"I like Chris Evan's biceps," she corrects, giggling at his disgruntled look.

Honestly, if she had to pick a superhero, it would be Captain America. Partly because he seems like a genuinely nice guy, from what little she's seen of the films and comics, but also because he's, for lack of a better word, _fucking hot_. Yeah, she's totally okay with this film. She won't understand the plot at all, but at least there's something nice on screen to look at.

If she concentrates hard enough, Lucy thinks she might be able to hear the sound of gatekeeper nerds pissing themselves over her answer.

Natsu throws his head back and groans, rolling his eyes down at her. His lips twitch at the corners, but he bites back a smile, sending her a mock-disappointed look. "Ugh, you're killing me," he jokes, shoving at her shoulder and stealing another handful of popcorn, laughing when she swats at him.

Lucy huffs, crossing her arms. She sends him a dirty look, but it melts away when she giggles. She nudges his shoulder, staring up at him instead of paying attention to the screen. "At least if I'm being forced to watch superhero movies, it's one with eye candy," she quips, leaning in to poke at his side, laughing when he jolts at her touch.

He makes a face, nose wrinkling as he peers down at her. He pinches at her again, fingers curling around her leg when she starts to squirm. "Stop ogling Chris while I'm in the room," he says, laughing when she pouts up at him.

Neither pay attention to the film as it begins, Lucy simply not caring and Natsu more interested in the faces she makes when his thumb brushes against her inner thigh. Lucy shivers, biting her lower lip as she considers how to respond.

Her gaze flicks to his lips for only a second, then slides down to his exposed arms. "Would you rather I ogle you?" she jokes, batting her eyelashes up at him. Satisfaction pools in her gut when she sees a faint blush color his cheeks, Natsu's eyes widening only a fraction at her teasing.

Lucy almost regrets saying it, _almost_. She knows she's edging into dangerous territory, but she likes the way his throat bobs when she teases him and really, _really_ likes the way his fingers feel against her bare thigh, thumb rubbing absentminded circles against her skin.

His hand stills suddenly, fingers tightening around her leg just above the knee. Natsu quirks a brow, smile twisting into a smirk as he leans into her, invading her space more than usual. "Would you?" he teases her, trying to stealthily flex his arm, doing a poor job of acting natural.

Lucy has to bite her lip to keep from laughing. "I don't know," she tells him, tapping her chin in thought as she pretends to think it over. She reaches out suddenly, palming his bicep as she hums, brow furrowing. He looks shocked at her boldness, but lets her run her fingers over his arm muscles without a word. Lucy pulls back suddenly, shaking her head and hoping she doesn't look as impressed as she feels. "Your arms aren't nearly as impressive," she tells him, tongue heavy and thick in her mouth.

Yeah, that's a lie. Lucy would never tell Natsu this, considering his ego doesn't need any stroking, but she's always been a bit turned on by his arms. And, more than that, she's always had a thing for his _back_. Natsu is fit, probably more than what's considered normal for a twenty something, not bulky, but definitely well-defined in all the right places. And she does mean _all_ the right places.

She's been friends with Natsu for years, and he's never been shy about showing a little skin. He makes fun of Gray for stripping down to nothing when it gets hot, but Natsu certainly has _no_ qualms with walking around her apartment shirtless.

Not that Lucy's complaining.

Natsu gasps, placing a hand on his wounded heart, a look of betrayal on his face. He ignores the movie entirely now, turning to face her fully and dragging her further into his lap. "Excuse me?" he asks, scoffing. He glances at the screen currently showing a rather wimpy looking Chris. "My arms are great!"

"Oh, they are," Lucy agrees, giving them an appreciative glance while reaching forward to pat him on the chest, placating her displeased friend. Natsu pouts at her, trying for an offended look. He relaxes into her touch, but stiffens when Lucy's smile turns sly. "But not Chris Evans great."

He narrows his eyes at her. "Oh, yeah?" he challenges, eyes going bright as he detects an argument. Lucy jolts at the dare he's giving her, her legs squeezing together when his voice drops, low and breathy as he eyes her. "Says who?"

She hesitates before answering, pretending to be deep in thought. "Me," she tells him, shrugging slightly. "Cana, Gray that one time," she ticks them off on her fingers, only adding to Natsu's annoyance. "Anyone interested in men, really."

He snorts, rolling his eyes. "I think you're lying," he huffs, glancing between her and the screen rapidly, scoffing again when he sees what part of the movie it's at. Lucy follows his gaze, seeing a CGI Chris Evans in all his noodle arm glory.

Admittedly, this would have been an easier argument to win later in the film, but Lucy isn't complaining. She kind of likes getting Natsu all riled up, likes watching him spit fire all over the place. It's especially nice when she's this close, she can feel his pulse pick up, hear his heart beat louder and faster. There's something thrilling about seeing him get excited.

"About your arm muscles?" she laughs, shaking her head at her ridiculous friend.

Natsu sends her a sharp nod, gaze turning wicked as he eyes her suddenly. His tongue flicks against his lip ring, his canine brushing against it slowly, making Lucy shiver. "Yeah," he tells her, voice low and eyes calculating. "Maybe you need a closer look."

Lucy doesn't have time to react before he's lunging for her. The popcorn is tossed from her lap and onto the floor, bowl rolling several feet and popcorn flying around the room. Lucy barely has time to gasp before she finds herself on her back, Natsu hovering over her, staring down at her with a positively feral look.

Her breath catches in her throat, blinking up at him owlishly as his weight settles against her, his fingers running along her sides. She swallows thickly, waiting for him to move. His fingers suddenly dart against her sides, drawing a squeal from her as his fingers prod at her ticklish ribs. "Natsu!" she shrikes, his name a giggle as he continues to run his hands over the most sensitive parts of her ribcage, poking and prodding where he knows he'll get a reaction.

Natsu laughs with her, nose bumping against hers playfully as she squirms beneath him, trying to shift away from his mischievous fingers, only to find herself trapped between his hips with nowhere to go. He drops more weight onto her, and she can barely hear him ask a question about his arms beneath her loud peels of laughter. She swats at his teasing hands, but he persists, tickling her until she's gasping beneath him, tears streaming down her cheeks and her side growing sore from her laughter.

Lucy vaguely hears a "please" fall from her mouth and then his fingers are slowly, his tickling ceasing until his hands slip away from her entirely, coming up to cage her head, forearms braced against she couch cushions as he stares down at her, gaze soft as he meets her eyes. He grins and Lucy sends him a small smile, chest still heaving as she pants.

He swallows audibly, so close that she can hear the slight stutter in his breath as his eyes flick to her parted lips. She waits, wetting her lips as her thighs rub together, all thoughts of the movie and Chris Evans banished from her thoughts by the heated look Natsu is giving her.

She murmurs his name, and that's when the dam breaks.

A snarl tears from deep in Natsu's chest and then suddenly he's upon her, mouth covering hers in a fierce kiss. His weight presses against her until she can feel him everywhere, and Lucy sighs against him as Natsu forces her head to tilt back. His calloused fingertips brush against her cheek, drawing a shiver from Lucy at the soft touch. Her own hands settle at his waist, moving slow as she draws them up his sides, gaining an appreciative sigh from Natsu as she drags her hands up to his shoulders, over his arms where she gives him an admiring squeeze, and then into his along his neck, fingers threading through his hair, pulling him even tighter against her, lips moving roughly against his.

Natsu's lips part, tongue running along the seam of her lips slowly, hand giving her arm a squeeze when she trembles beneath him, nails raking along his scalp. He growls against her, nipping at her bottom lip and smiling when he draws a squeak from her. He shifts then, wedging a knee between her thighs as she wiggles below him. A small sound leaves her throat, but he swallows it quickly, pulling her tighter to his chest as he slips an arm beneath her back, palm hot against her spine.

His free hand goes to her thigh, grip firm as he squeezes her skin, hands growing bolder when she sighs against him. His hand slips higher on her thigh, thumb tracing the edge of her shorts before dipping further towards her inner thigh, touch firm but careful as he teases her boundaries.

It's sweet, but it's not what she wants right now.

Lucy huffs against him, back arching into his chest as she teethes his bottom lip, nipping at him harshly when she catches his lower lip between her teeth. She nibbles at him when he squeezes her thigh, playing with his lip and teasing him, rolling the flesh between her teeth. Natsu growls against her mouth, hand on her back yanking her closer when she sucks his lip into her mouth, tongue coming out to lap at his skin before moving to play with his piercing.

She grazes his lip ring slowly, curious, and Natsu groans as the tip of her tongue flicks over the metal. Her teeth graze the steel hoop a moment later, excitement building inside of her when she feels the coolness of the metal against her tongue, steel growing hot the longer she plays with the hoop. She shivers beneath him, enjoying herself more than she was expecting.

Snarling against her mouth, Natsu's tongue slips passed her lips, pushing her own back as he comes to play. He doesn't linger long, the tip of his tongue grazing the roof of her mouth before he pulls back entirely, mouth leaving hers with a wet "pop."

He presses his forehead against hers, chest heaving as he pants. His eyes lock with hers, pupils blown wide as he stares down at her. Lucy shivers under his watchful eyes, tongue flicking over her kiss-swollen lips as she swallows.

Natsu watches her carefully, throat bobbing as his fingertips trail over her quivering thigh and up passed her hip, hovering at the hem of her shirt. There's a question in his eyes, and something burning hot that has Lucy nodding dumbly, her thighs squeezing around his, trembling.

This seems to egg him on, Natsu flashing her a feral smile before dropping back onto her mouth, nipping at her lips before his tongue slides along her lower lip, coaxing her to play. He sucks at her lip, pulling it between his teeth and biting her harshly. She moans beneath him, his name stuck in her throat, and wriggles beneath him, her core aching for attention, but having nothing to press against, his knee too far away.

Huffing, Lucy pulls at his hair harshly, nails raking across his skull and down the back of his neck, an action that draws a snarl from somewhere deep in his chest. Her responses seem to encourage him, boosting his ego, amongst other things. His hands squeeze tighter, teeth pulling harder, and Lucy writhes beneath him, whimpering at his touch.

Her lips part against his, hands on his neck dragging him down closer, and Lucy's entire body quivers with a heavy sigh as his tongue slips back into her mouth, sweeping around and running everywhere he can reach, tasting her as the tip of his tongue runs along the back of her teeth and along the roof of her mouth. Lucy giggles when he does it again, the action ticking her. Natsu grins, tongue flicking against hers playfully.

Lucy gives the intruding appendage a sharp _suck_ , nipping at him with her teeth and Natsu pulls out of her mouth. He growls down at her, grinding against her thigh, and Lucy gasps, head thrown back as she feels his cock straining against his jeans, hard and thick behind his pants.

His hands slip to her hips, jerking her up as he bucks against her covered hips. Lucy releases a shaky breath, hips jerking against his leg as he stirs against her thigh. His teeth pull at her lip, coaxing soft, lewd sounds from Lucy. Natsu is quick to swallow them, muffling them with his own lips as he grins against her, obviously pleased with her soft vocalizations. He slips in closer, leg grinding against her covered heat, and Lucy cries out beneath him, head falling back in a moan as he rubs against her roughly.

Hands trembling as she quivers below him, Lucy's fingers run up the sides of his neck before disappearing into his hair, hands pulling at the brightly colored stands roughly, twisting and tugging as his hips shift against hers. A filthy moan tears from Natsu's throat as she pulls at him ruthlessly, sound muffled by her lips. His fingers twitch against her hip, grip tightening as he gives her a rough squeeze.

Lucy's hands slip down to cup his cheeks, fingertips soft as they tremble against his skin. She smiles slightly, sighing against him as she grinds her core against his leg, hips lurching off the couch to buck against his, startling him into a groan. She does it again, rougher this time, and Natsu snarls, teeth sinking into her lower lip as her presses his covered cock into her hip, rolling against her harshly.

Natsu pulls back slowly, reluctantly, and Lucy leans up to catch his upper lip between her teeth briefly before pulling away. Natsu huffs a laugh against her, breath hot as it fans over her. His forehead presses against hers, both of them panting, but it doesn't stop Lucy from leaning up to steal another kiss, her hand fisting in his shirt.

It's soft and chaste, little more than lips brushing, but Lucy can feel the tingle all the way down to her toes. Natsu grins, chest pressed against hers as he leans in to nuzzle her cheek. His lips press against her flushed skin, lingering against her for a long moment before he begins to move once more. Lips meet her skin once more, hot, wet kisses trailing over her jaw and down her neck without warning. "Lucy," he breathes against her throat, her name stuttered and choked as he gasps against.

She gasps, squirming as he roughly bites and sucks at her pulse point, lips trailing up and down her soft skin as if he can't taste her enough. "Natsu," she breathes back, panting as he continues to peruse her neck, tilting her head up to give him better access. Her eyes slip shut as he finds a particularly sensitive spot, Lucy whining as he nips at her.

Natsu mouths at her, teeth scrapping along the length of her neck before latching on. He gives a harsh suck, tongue lapping at her throat, and Lucy moans, fingers twitching against his back as her arms curl around him. He presses her harder into the soft cushions, rocking against her slowly. He hums against her neck, rumble spilling from somewhere deep in his chest. The sound tickles Lucy's skin and she shivers. "Is this okay?" he asks her, barely above a whisper as his mouth trails kisses up from her neck to her jaw and then to her ear, nibbling at the lobe and making her wriggle against his lower half.

She gasps as he trails back down, head tilting to the side as he plants hot, open-mouthed kisses along her throat. He bites her roughly suddenly, and Lucy yelps, but he quickly soothes the spot with a slow lick, a hard suck following soon after, sure to leave a bruise that will be hard to hide. "Yeah," she tells him, eyes fluttering open. "This is f-fine," she stumbles over her words, lost to him kissing her neck.

One of his hands slip down, groping at her ass over her shorts and grinding her hips against his. A hiss leaves him at the rough contact, his head falling forward to rest against her bare shoulder, still peppering kisses against her skin. Lucy wiggles again, growing impatient, and slips a hand down between his legs. Natsu mumbles something against her shoulder, but she doesn't catch the words.

Her fingers ghost over his hips before grasping his arousal through his jeans, palming him roughly. She squeezes him and Natsu moans against her bare skin, teeth pressing into her shoulder to muffle the sound. His mouth leaves her just as suddenly, breathing ragged as he bucks into her hand, forehead dragging against her shoulder roughly. A low whine rips from his throat as she releases him.

Natsu lurches back suddenly, sitting up fully. Lucy stares at him, wide-eyed and Natsu sends her a lazy smirk, green eyes sharp and focused on her face. He wets his lips, grasping at her thigh and shifting her so that his hips are nestled against her, Lucy's legs left to wrap around his waist. Natsu stares down at her for a long moment, tracing her form with his eyes, as if to burn the image of her into his brain for a later time.

He holds her gaze as his fingers curl around the hem of his shirt, Lucy's breath catching he suddenly tugs his shirt over his head, going slow and giving her a show. Lucy giggles, legs squeezing around his hips and Natsu winks at her, tossing the fabric to the side.

Lucy laughs, rolling her eyes, but bites back a stripper retort, knowing it would get a rise out of him. Instead, she takes a moment to stare unabashed, eyes tracing down his bare torso slowly, mapping his chest. Her gaze lingers on the tattoo on his left side, ruby dragon scales spattered along his side.

"Like what'cha see?" Natsu asks her, grin playful as he falls back into her. Her legs squeeze around his, tugging him forward with her calves, and Natsu chuckles at her impatience. His big hands settle on her hips, fingertips scorching as he slips them beneath her shirt, palms running along her ribs slowly. Lucy loops an arm around his neck, jerking him down for a sweet kiss. He sighs, content as her lips move against his slowly, languidly, his fingers pattering against her sides.

Pulling back, Lucy rips her lips away from his, back arching off the couch to push her torso closer to his. Natsu's mouth goes to her jaw, not pausing between kisses, even as he fists at her shirt. "I'm taking this off," he growls against her ear, Lucy gasping as his teeth nick her skin. He tugs her shirt up slowly, Lucy wiggling to help him pull it over her head, and Natsu huffs when he has to break away from her neck.

Her shirt is tossed over her head and out of sight, left to fall somewhere on the floor.

Natsu's heated gaze doesn't leave hers, green eyes piercing as he stares, though one of his hands does drift to the newly bared skin of her stomach, tracing her curves with teasing touches. His hands slide high on her ribcage, fingertips ghosting the bottom of her bra, soft lace brushing against the side of his thumb. Natsu's gaze flickers down to her chest, throat bobbing with a hard swallow as he takes in the red lace, a cute black bow resting between her heaving chest.

He worries his lower lip, rolling it between his teeth before wetting his lips. Lucy giggles at his sudden shyness and tosses her arms around his neck, dragging him down for a quick, deliberate kiss. She nips at him roughly and Natsu bares his teeth at her, growling low in his throat. Her hands slip through his hair, fingers working through knots as he peppers kisses along her jaw.

Nervous fingers patter against her ribs before Natsu is suddenly palming her covered breast, squeezing her softly. Lucy coos, sighing at the soft pressure of his hand, her back arching into him as he kneads her through her bra, skilled fingers deliberate in their movements. Her head tilts to the side, allowing him to work his way down her neck.

He stills suddenly, breath hot against her throat before he gives her breast a rough squeeze. Lucy gasps, but the sound twists into a moan when Natsu drags his mouth down the side of her throat, tongue drawing a wet, teasing line from the lobe of her ear to the base of her throat. He nips at her collarbone, latching on to give her a rough suck, and Lucy squirms beneath him, legs tightening around his hips. She pulls at his hair, dragging a low sound from him, and his lips latch onto her pulse point, tongue lapping at her sweaty skin. Suddenly, his teeth close around her neck and he sucks, canines pricking at her skin. Lucy squeals in surprise, bucking up against him as his sharp teeth drag against her skin. Her grip tightens and she pulls at his hair harder than she means to, tearing a low snarl straight from his chest.

Sighing against her, Natsu pulls back from her neck, a wet pop splitting the air as he leaves her. She shivers below him, whimpering when she feels his smirk against the side of her throat. He nuzzles her ear briefly, then slides lower, until his nose brushes along the soft swell of her breasts, rough lips scraping against her flushed skin. Lucy exhales softly beneath him, his hand trailing up her arm from elbow to shoulder to neck, ghosting her skin. His lips settle over her heart, mouthing at her skin as he places a soft kiss against her pounding heart.

His calloused fingertips trace the curve of her breast, running along the edge of her lacy bra. His mouth follows soon after, lips trailing butterfly kisses along her right breast from outside to inside, sliding lower and nipping at her skin until he reaches the valley between them. He peers up at her from between her breasts, nosing the swell of her skin, his gaze sharp, focused as he stares at her. He waits until Lucy meets his eyes before resting his tongue flat against the pale skin between her breasts, giving her a long, slow lick, tasting the salt clinging to her skin. His hand squeezes at her covered chest, eyes narrowing at the lacy garment hiding her from him.

A growl tumbles from his mouth and his lips go back to her breast. He nudges the soft cup of her bra aside, making her tremble as his hot breath fans over her rosy nipple. Fingers pull almost painfully at his hair, Lucy twisting the soft strands between her shaking fingers, pulling him closer to her chest.

His hand tightens around her left breast at the same time he circles his tongue around the rosy skin of her right. Lucy swears, keening, and her hips buck up against hip, seeking contact. A strangled sound leaves her when Natsu grinds back against her, his lips curling into a Cheshire smile before he envelops her rosy nipple with his lips. Lucy moans as he does something wonderful with his tongue, sucking and flicking at her bud, sharp teeth pricking at her skin. His fingers squeeze at her other breast, free hand trailing down her rib cage slowly.

She arches off the couch and his hand slips beneath her, fingers pulling at the clasp of her bra clumsily as he tries to take it off her. He slips and the band snaps against her skin, drawing a soft yelp from Lucy that quickly slips into a soft moan, his teeth nipping at her breast, tongue lavishing her nipple. He gets it the second time, her bra coming loose easily under his deft fingers. He doesn't pull back from her chest as he pulls the fabric from her, Lucy's hands releasing his scalp briefly as he tears off her bra, tossing it much like he did her shirt.

"Natsu," Lucy gasps, pulling him closer, arms wrapping around his back and clinging to his shoulders. He grins, taking her nipple between careful teeth and rolling it, tongue faintly brushing against the tip. She squeals when he blows cool air against her hardened bud, shivering as he places a soft kiss below her nipple, only to wrap his lips around it a moment later. "Fuck," she swears, nails pricking at his skin. "Natsu!" A rough laugh tumbles from his throat, the sound reverberating through her, and Lucy huffs as he releases her breast with a wet pop.

He pulls back, leaning away from her, and Lucy whines at the loss. He ignores her other breast, pressing up on his hands in order to look down at her. Green eyes linger on her bare breasts, a growl tumbling from his lips. Natsu reaches out slowly, flicking a finger over her nipple and making Lucy gasp. "Shit, Lucy," he mumbles. He leans in to press a soft kiss against the corner of her mouth, but slips away before she can deepen it.

Natsu shifts down her body slowly, settling between her hips and rocking against her once. He slides down her body, his nose drawing a line down her quivering stomach, his fingertips dragging down her ribs slowly. She sighs, enjoying the feel of his lips trailing down her skin, kissing and licking, daring to nip at the skin below her bellybutton. She dips away from him and Natsu chuckles, leaning in to press a soft kiss just above the button on her shorts.

Leaning up on her elbows, Lucy watches Natsu settle between her splayed legs. He wets his lips, then glances up at her, a silent question in his eyes. Lucy smiles, heart warming at his hesitance, and lifts her hips off the couch, pressing up into him. He grunts against her, pressing a sloppy kiss against her bellybutton.

He slips a finger beneath the top of her shorts, ghosting the bare skin above her panties before pulling back. His fingers unbutton her shorts quickly, snapping them open and wasting no time before yanking down the zipper. Lucy helps him, lifting her hips as he shimmies them down, working slow and kissing every inch of new skin along her thighs before Lucy flicks the fabric away, shivering when she feels his hot breath against the inside of her thighs.

His thumb brushes along the lace between her legs, the digit coming away slick and wet and Natsu groans at the sight. Lucy whines, bucking up into his hand, but he leans out of her reach, laughing as she huffs, head tilted to the side and back arched. He slips a finger beneath the waistband of her underwear, tickling her. She squirms again, and he curls his fingers around the lacy fabric, dragging it down only an inch. His thumb ghosts over her slit, enough to tease, but it only increases the ache between her thighs.

Her panties come off quickly, Natsu impatient and needy. He hums, leaning down to press a kiss against the bare skin of her thigh. Lucy's underwear is thrown to some dark corner of the room, forgotten as Natsu's hot mouth skims along her sensitive skin, his rough tongue lapping at the juncture of her thigh and pelvis. She throws her head back in a hiss as Natsu's hands slide further down, fingers curling around her thighs and spreading them so that he can settle more comfortably against her.

A thigh is tossed over his shoulder, her calf brushing against the coiled muscles of his back. His hand comes up, thumb skimming her lower lips and spreading the glistening fluids dripping from her entrance. She rocks against him, wanting and desperate, her hands pulling at his hair once again, but he denies her, pressing kisses along her thigh and never touching where she wants him most. His fingers stroke along her center, feather light, and Lucy bites her lower lip in frustration.

Natsu's lips curve into a wicked smile against her quivering thigh, his breath fanning across her opening and making her squirm beneath him. She rolls her hips against his hand. A pleased moan slips passed her lips as his thumb brushes against her clit, sending a jolt through her entire body. He does it again, ghosting against her slit and flushed clit, making Lucy hiss below him.

"Stop teasing me so much," she pants, swallowing another moan as his thumb rolls against her clit, pressing harder for only a moment before disappearing entirely.

He chuckles, dark and throaty, kissing and nipping at her thigh. "You don't seem to mind," he murmurs, low and wicked and Lucy moans, knowing that he's right. She can feel her juices _dripping_ down her thighs. His kisses move along her skin, inching closer to her center until she can feel the warmth of his breath against her, teasing. For a long moment he doesn't move. Lucy growls at his lack of movement, bucking into his hand and tugging at his hair hard, dragging a moan from the man resting between her thighs. He murmurs something she doesn't catch, thumb flicking over her clit.

"Natsu," she gasps, arching off the bed when he does it a second time. It comes out breathy—needy, and Lucy whimpers when he traces her slit.

He gives her thigh a rough suck and she jolts, squirming beneath him. The grip around her thigh grows tight, but not overwhelmingly so. He growls against her again. "Do you like that, Lucy?" he demands, lips ghosting against her clit as he leans in. "Tell me," he murmurs against her lower lips.

Below him, she shivers, a low whine spilling from her throat as she rolls her hips against him, only for Natsu to lean back slightly, just out of reach. She pulls at his hair harshly, but he doesn't budge, waiting.

Lucy glances down briefly, flushing as she catches sight of wicked, green eyes staring up at her from between her spread thighs. She worries her lip, watching as he leans down slowly, tongue peeking out from between his lips. The tip brushes against her swollen clit, just enough for her to feel it.

He smiles when she jerks against him, hissing.

" _Fuck_ , Natsu," she pants, digging her heel into his lower back as she moans, head thrown back as she squeezes her eyes shut. His tongue continues to trace little circles against her, tapping at her button. "Oh, god," she chokes out, nearly sobbing in frustration as she pulls at his hair, urging him to come closer. "Stop teasing," she finally gasps.

A finger slips past her entrance, just shy of entering her completely. "Tell me," he urges, almost amused as her thighs quiver around him. "Tell me how good I make you feel." His finger slips into her and _wiggles_.

She throws her head back with a moan, but grinds against his hand, even as he pulls back just the slightest. "God— _yes_ —just—" she cuts off, hissing as he slips another finger deep inside of her, curling both of them against her walls before spreading them inside her. Lucy whimpers at the slight burn of being stretched. His wrist snaps up, fingers dragging roughly against her walls. Lucy whines, the words already tumbling from her mouth before she can stop them. "Better than—" she catches herself quickly, teeth clacking as she closes her mouth, moaning as his prodding fingers twist inside of her, dragging out slowly before plunging back in hard enough to make her back arch off the bed.

He hears her though, and his fingers take to shallow, teasing thrusts as he peeks up at her. For a long moment, he doesn't say anything, fixated on watching Lucy ride his hand, her hips grinding against him when he won't give her what she wants. He swallows thickly, watching as sticky fluids slide down her lips and coat his fingers. "Better than what, Lucy?" he asks her lowly. She shivers, but doesn't respond, and Natsu snarls, snapping his fingers into her roughly and pulling a sob from her, her hips lurching off the couch. " _Answer me_ ," he growls.

His demand makes her thighs clench, Lucy biting her lip to keep from moaning. She grinds back against him, chasing his retreating fingers. He stops moving entirely, and Lucy worries her lips, an embarrassed flush covering her skin. "Better than—" She swallows thickly, cutting off. "Better than my hands," she murmurs, breathing shaky as she waits for him to respond.

"You touch yourself?" he asks her, voice a growl against her thigh. He presses a sloppy kiss against the top of her mound, kisses trailing to her thigh. His fingers begin to move once more, faster and rougher than before, thrusts shallower, but hard enough to make her arch off the couch, her moans loud and encouraging.

Her eyes fly open as he nicks a spot inside her, fingers rubbing harshly inside of her. "Y-yes," she breathes back, panting. She mewls when his fingers twist inside her.

His breath fans across her clit, lips brushing it when he speaks. "Did you ever think of me?" he rasps, a snarl in his words. Lucy gasps, lurching up onto her elbows to stare at him, hands slipping from his hair. Natsu's fingers don't still, twisting and thrusting harder. It takes her a moment to meet his eyes, his green eyes intense as he stares at her, beseeching.

She holds herself firm, swallowing thickly. "Yes," she admits, suddenly not feeling shy about masturbating while thinking of her best friend.

He falters for a second, inhaling sharply before ducking down to envelope her clit between his lips, sucking hard. " _Fuck_!" he snarls against her, pulling away any a breath to groan. Lucy shrieks, the sound slipping into a moan as he laps at her clit, fingers doing something wonderful inside of her. He beckons her closer to the edge, fingers twisting and curling as he drags them along her walls, prodding at a spot along the top that makes her let out a little sob.

Lucy whimpers, hips swiveling to meet his hands, shamelessly rising to meet his slow thrusts as best she can, a particularly rough thrust causing her head to fly back, her nails digging into the back of his neck. He groans against her, rolling her clit with his tongue before taking it between his teeth.

Lucy gasps as his fingers thrust against that spot again, striking it with just enough force to pull a whine from her throat and make her shamelessly press up against him. Natsu sucks at her clit again, his sharp teeth brushing against her swollen nub, and she can feel herself tipping over the edge. His fingers keep prodding a special spot relentlessly, her walls making wonderfully horrible wet, sucking sounds as he drags his fingers out slowly, only to slam them back into her a moment later.

His mouth leaves her wet heat, fingers relentless as he buries them deep inside her. "Cum for me, Lucy," he demands, growling. Her clit throbs and Natsu takes it between his lips once more, lavishing it and sucking, pinching it between his teeth until she's trembling beneath him, twisting and sobbing atop the sheets. Her hands fly to his hair, fingers tugging at his scalp, and he snarls as she rocks against him, riding his hand.

Natsu drags the calloused tips of his fingers roughly along her walls at the same time he pinches her clit with his teeth, drawing a sound between a scream and a moan from Lucy. She jerks below him, coming apart as she cums on his hand, Natsu's thrusts not stopping until she's a quivering mess beneath him, her walls clenching and unclenching around his hand, sucking at his fingers.

He pulls back slowly, panting just as hard as she is, and presses a soft kiss against her thigh, trailing his lips across her skin until her shaking ceases. Lucy pants, chest heaving and Natsu takes his time perusing her body, ghosting kisses along her stomach and across her breasts until he reaches her jaw, giving her time to catch her breath.

Panting Lucy tilts her head to the side, humming as he buries his face against her neck, lips pulling and sucking at her sweaty skin, peppering her neck with small, red and off-purple blemishes along the length of her throat.

Lucy whimpers as his wet fingers trail over her thigh, juices left to spill from her, coating her legs and dripping onto the cushions beneath them. She grabs his cheeks, pulling him away from her throat, and yanks his mouth down to hers. Natsu inhales sharply at the motion, but sinks into her, grasping at her thighs roughly.

She sighs against him, smiling against his lips as she trails her fingers down his neck and over his shoulders. She presses her palms against his shoulder blades, humming to herself as she drags the flat of her hands down his muscled back, gaining a pleased sound from Natsu. Her hands slip around to his chest, nails dragging against his skin as she draws her hands up to his collarbones. Her wrists snap back down immediately, palms flat against his abdomen as her hands drag down roughly, pulling a grunt from her partner. Her hands lower even farther, grabbing him by the belt and yanking him forward to thrust her hips against his roughly from beneath him. Natsu gasps, shoving his erection against her core.

Her head falls back against the couch, mouth pulling away from his to hiss as he rocks against her, cock straining against his jeans. He moans as she rolls her hips against him, cum smearing against the crotch of his jeans and dampening his pants. He grinds back against her, muffled curses slipping from with parted lips with every roll of Lucy's hips.

Her hand slips between their bodies, palming him through his jeans, squeezing lightly as he rocks against her. His head drops against her shoulder, eyes squeezing shut as Lucy fondles him through his pants. He groans, whining when she pulls her hand away from him, only to grab him by the belt and jerk his hips towards her, fumbling with the clasp, deft fingers making quick work of the leather.

His belt hits the floor with a _clack_ , sounding all too loud in the otherwise quiet room, the TV muffled by the sounds of their panting.

Lucy pops the button on his jeans with ease, her thumbs looping in the fabric as she worms them down over his hips, Natsu helping her to kick them off when they bunch around his knees. She hesitates only a moment before her hand cups him through his boxers, getting a better feel of him now that he's not obstructed by his pants. She gives a tentative squeeze, swallowing as she feels him, hot and thick beneath her fingers. She aches to rub her thighs together, a familiar pressure stirring in her gut.

She wets her lips, excitement growing when he mumbles her name against her shoulder. Her hand snakes below his boxers suddenly, grasping him firmly in her palm as her fingers slide up his length, tearing a filthy moan from his mouth. She hides a grin against his throat, but knows he can feel it against his skin. She kisses up his neck, nipping at his earlobe, tongue flicking against the silver stub in his ear. Lucy gives his cock a squeeze, thumb moving over the mushroomed head in fast circles as she smears the drops of pre-cum dripping from him, slicking him up in her palm. Her fingers run along his shaft slowly, fingers stroking the velvety, incredibly warm skin. He hisses, thrusting his hips into her hand as she thumbs the slit playing with his tip.

Natsu swears, struggling with his boxers as he shoves them down, freeing his cock to the cool air. He slips them off and they fall to the floor beside his pants.

A low whine escapes him as her hand begins to slide over him, matching the movements of his hips. "Lucy," he gasps, panting above her as she changes the angle of her wrist. She grins against his throat. "Fuck!" he growls, squeezing her hips tightly as she does something wonderful with her fingers.

Lucy touches him with long, slow strokes, taking the time to thumb at him head and run her finger along the puckered vein running along the bottom of his shaft. She hums as she touches him, alternating between slow strokes that make him moan and rough snaps of her wrist that have him cursing, her name heavy on his tongue.

Biting her lip, Lucy pulls back to watch his face contort, his mouth hanging open in silent moans and his eyes squeezed shut, brows knitted and sweat dotting his brow.

Squeezing him in a tight fist, Natsu's hips grind into her hand, body rolling against hers in fast motions as Lucy pumps him with her hand, thumbing at his head when he groans her name.

She releases him a moment later, receiving a whine in return as she removes her hand from his aching cock, only to surprise him when she shoves at his chest. Natsu complies, sitting up, and Lucy follows him, guiding him to sit with his back against the arm of the couch. Lucy shifts onto her knees, settling between his splayed thighs. He watches her, wide-eyed as she bites her lip and bats her eyelashes, brown eyes blown wide lust-darkened, lips kiss-stained and bruised.

Lucy leans into him, hair falling around them as she presses a brief kiss against his lips, gone before he can react. She flutters just a breath away from him, not touching him for a long moment. Natsu keeps his hands fisted at his sides, swallowing thickly when she whispers his name.

Her fingers wrap around his cock gently, giving him a squeeze followed by several slow strokes. Lucy leans back, making sure he's watching her as she leans down, lips parted as she dips between his legs. She peers up at him as best she can, holding his gaze as her tongue pokes out, flicking against his tip. His hips jolt and she hears him gasp, his eyes widening. Natsu swallows and, feeling emboldened, Lucy doesn't hesitate to take his head into her mouth, giving him a soft suck.

Natsu moans, Lucy lazily stroking the base of his shaft as she sucks at his tip, tongue tracing the underside of his flared head. "Fuck, Lucy," he groans, hand flying to the back of her head, fingers sweeping up her long hair into a messy knot and pulling her mouth closer. "Holy fucking _shit_." She pulls away from his head when he thrusts into her mouth, instead licking at his slit with teasing flicks of her tongue. She squeezes him slowly, mouthing at the side of his length and sucking on a vein, playing with him until he's panting below her.

Lucy smiles against him, mouth going back to his pulsing head, sucking roughly before bobbing down on his length in fast strokes, fingers of her free hand twitching against his thigh. His tip brushes against the back of her throat, and Natsu groans as he thrusts against her mouth, his brow pinched as he nears his climax. He pulls at her hair roughly. "Shit— _fuck_ , Lucy, you're so damn good at thi— _uh, fuck_." Natsu grinds against her, breaths coming in fast pants. She only needs to squeeze him a little bit tighter and—

Lucy pulls away, a thick string of saliva connecting her lips to his cock. A pathetic moan spills from Natsu's throat at the loss of contact, his cock aching in a way that borders on painful. Lucy bites back a laugh, arms circling his neck as she crawls onto his lap, hips straddling his. Natsu growls at her, catching her lips in a burning kiss and leaving her breathless. Her hips rub against his slowly, feeling his cock, hot and pulsing against her core, brush against her sensitive clit, drawing a hiss from her. She ducks down, placing her teeth against his throat before pulling back and pressing her lips against his skin in a soft kiss.

He catches her lips again. Natsu's hands settle on her hips, grinding her against his uncovered erection, rubbing himself along her slit. The flared head of him slides along her slick opening, tip pressing against her clit. His hips roll beneath hers and he groans into her mouth at the frustrating contact. Lucy rips away from his mouth, biting her lip, eyes squeezing shut as he lurches against her, member sliding along her entrance slowly.

There's little resistance, she's so wet. Lucy whines, shifting to meet him as he bucks up against her and moans when he slips inside of her easily. A low, guttural sound rumbles in his throat as he drops his forehead to rest against hers. Lucy arches her back as he enters her completely, seating himself inside her to the tilt.

He's long and thicker than anything she's had inside her before, but Lucy relishes the slight burn between her legs, adjusting to his size quickly. She sighs, panting against him and Natsu lowers his mouth to meet hers in a bruising kiss. Her arms curling around his neck and fisting into his hair as he holds her to his chest, a hand flat against her spine while the other squeezes around her hip.

His hips shift against hers and Lucy circles against him languidly, humming to herself as she feels him against every inch of her inner walls. Natsu hisses when she bucks against him, hips snapping against his hard, and Lucy laughs, squeezing around him tightly and making him swear. His shoulders tense, muscles flexing beneath his skin and Lucy presses butterfly kisses against his jaw and throat.

She bounces on his length, hips moving slowly, teasing him. Natsu snarls at her, hand groping at her ass and forcing her down on him harder, gravity sinking her lower on his length. A choked gasp leaves her throat as he thrusts up into her, and Lucy whimpers at the feeling of his stretching her. "God you're so _big_ ," she pants, the praise falling from her lips without a thought.

Natsu's hips stop moving against hers suddenly, and Lucy bites her lips, brow furrowing. She's about to ask what's wrong when Natsu growls her name and grabs at her hips harshly. He lunges forward, forcing her onto her back, and Lucy gasps as he grinds against her.

He noses her hair, pulling out of her slowly only to slam into her roughly a moment later, stealing her breath as his hips snap against hers, movements sharp and fast. She gasps at the unexpected thrust, eyes squeezing shut tightly. Natsu pounds into her relentlessly—hips snapping against hers roughly, hips harsh as they slide against hers. Her nails dig into his skin as her hips jerk up to meet his, matching his thrusts with her own as she circles against him slowly.

Her walls suck at his retreating length as he pulls out, the head of his cock rubbing against a sensitive spot along the top of her walls—the same spot his fingers had teased earlier—and she stifles a moan. "Natsu," she gasps, his name thick on her tongue. Lucy arches against him, letting him hit deeper inside of her as she chokes on his name.

He slams into her to his own rhythm—fast and brutal, movements leaving her unable to do anything but writhe and sob beneath him. He pants against her ear and the only sounds in the room are the TV, the wet, skin against skin slap every time he drags his length out of her, removing all but the head before rocking back into her.

"Lucy," Natsu moans back to her, voice low and guttural, something she's never heard before. He hisses as she squeezes around him, her hips rolling against his roughly. He swallows down a moan, eyes rolling back as she clamps down on him tightly. His lips trail down her neck, nipping at her exposed collarbone, tongue teasing her skin. He thrusts into her harder and faster, pulling out less than he did before, and she whimpers, gasping, fingers twitching against his clammy back.

Natsu moans, breathing harshly against her ear. "I want you to come for me, Lucy," he demands. He grunts against her neck, a deep, strangled sound passing his lips. He stills briefly, panting, and then begins jack-hammering into her center. Above him, Lucy whimpers, clinging to his back. "Cum for me, Baby."

He slips one hand between her legs, two fingers rubbing furiously at her clit. She sobs his name, hips jerking against his as she claws at his back. His breathing becomes erratic, mixing with the sticky slap of his skin against hers. Natsu buries himself inside of her so unbelievably fast that the breath is knocked from her lungs. She moans a moment later, biting her lip so hard she draws blood. His thumb joins his finger at her core and he pinches her clit roughly once. She tenses at the rough touch, his name stuck in her throat as her body spasms around him, walls clenching and unclenching rapidly, sucking him in deeper as she moans.

The pounding doesn't stop, his fingers still moving against her quickly, only prolonging her release until she's twitching and begging. White light blinds her vision, her legs quivering against his back, her walls shudder around him, then clench down tightly, breaking his rhythm. A horrible, wet sucking sound breaks the silence as he pulls back, his thrusts suddenly becoming frenzied.

She whispers his name and his hips snap forward, his cock twitching inside of her once, twice, and then he pushes into her roughly, spilling himself deep inside of her, hips continuing to rock against hers slowly, giving her everything he has, Lucy still twitching around him. She wiggles below him, feeling their mixed fluids slipping down her slit and splashed against both her thighs and his, their bodies sticky with cum.

His forehead drops onto her shoulder, arms slipping around her as he pulls her into a soft embrace, breathing heavily. Her thumbs rub circles into his shoulder blades as she nuzzles his ear, panting against him and simply trying to catch her breath.

Natsu sits up suddenly, gaze piercing as he looks down at her, cock still resting inside of her. "Better than Chris Evans?" Natsu rasps, expression cocky as he stares down at Lucy. She blinks up at him, then glances at the TV to see a well-muscled Captain America on screen. She turns back to Natsu, huffs and rolls her eyes, but drags him down for a satisfied kiss.

Yeah, definitely better than Chris Evans.

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 **AN: Be sure to leave a review and tell me your thoughts! Just don't be weird about it! Also, I try to respond to all reviews, so feel free to ask questions if they come up!**


	2. 2 Walk of Shame

**AN: This took forever and I'm sorry lmao Be sure to drop a review at the end and tell me what you think!**

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 **Benefits**

 **Chapter Two: Walk of Shame**

It's two in the morning and they're halfway through _Guardians of the Galaxy_ when Lucy realizes what they've done.

She's sprawled across him, the pair of them curled up on the couch with Natsu lying on his back and Lucy curled against his chest, drawing lazy shapes against his side while dozing, not really paying attention to what's playing on the screen. He has an arm tossed around her back, fingers splayed across the bare skin of her back where his shirt has ridden up. His hand is hot against her, fingers ghosting across her skin in nonsensical patterns: shapes and words she can't quite make out. Lucy shivers beneath his touch, both from his light caress and the cool night, the open window in her bedroom sending the chilly air creeping right into the living room. She curls closer to him, chilly despite being cuddled up against her best friend's very bare chest.

Her hand stills against his side, the weight of what they've done hitting Lucy full force. She had sex with Natsu. She had _really good_ sex with Natsu. Well, shit. Shit. Shit. _Shit_. That's something they really weren't supposed to do. Lucy is fine with casual sex on occasion—and she knows from one very awkward walk-in that Natsu doesn't seem to have much of an issue with it either—but with her best friend? That feels like a crossed-boundary. A boundary she's now straddling like she was Natsu's hips only a few hours ago, hearing him moan in her ear and—

She blinks, cheeks going a bright red as she realizes the extent of their activities. By all means, things should be awkward as all hell right now. She should have freaked out and locked him out of the apartment and called Levy while sobbing about how she's ruined everything. And Natsu should have high-tailed it out of her apartment as soon as they finished going at it like the Energizer Bunny, because Natsu hates confrontation, especially with her. He once accidentally burned a book of hers back in high school and avoided her for two weeks because he didn't want to see her upset.

That, of course, failed absolutely miserably, with Lucy being more upset about her best friend avoiding her than the slightly charred book and hastily scrawled apology note sitting on her bed. That had been the worst few weeks of Lucy's life. She was absolutely miserable without him, moping around during the high point of summer and unable to find her best friend anywhere, only to learn that he left on an out of town trip with his father without saying a word to her.

That was what upset her the most, that he'd rather run and hide than just tell her the truth. Lucy knows he never quite forgave himself for disappearing on her, that's why he's constantly around. Natsu fractured some of their trust back then, only a little, but she knows neither of them will ever forget it, even if they can't fix it now.

However, them being perfectly content to just lie on the couch as if nothing happened, simply basking in the post-coital bliss—or whatever the fuck they're supposed to call it—isn't what surprises Lucy, at least, not entirely. No, what surprises her is that they would have ended up like this anyway. Perhaps a bit less sticky and self-satisfied, but they would have ended up wrapped up in each other regardless of whether or not clothes came off. They always cuddle during movie nights, much to their friends collective amusement.

They've gotten ribbed for it plenty of times, sure, but they never really cared. It's just how they are. Lucy _likes_ being pressed against his chest, cheek smushed against his shoulder while he traces silly shapes on her back, tickling her skin or whispers corny jokes in her ear to make her laugh. And Natsu certainly seems to like holding her just as she does him, usually being the one to drag Lucy into his lap during group movie nights, the two of them making fun of the shitty, poorly acted action scenes in whatever movie Erza picked, or Natsu softly—and badly—crooning in her ear during musical nights, knowing all the words, but not having the music prowess he should have been born with.

So, no, the cuddling isn't new. Lucy would be more concerned and hurt if they _weren't_ cuddling right now. That's how she'd know that something was wrong, that they'd really fucked up their friendship, because they _always_ cuddle. Despite the teasing and lewd jokes, nothing short of a hurricane would ever be able to tear them apart during movie nights, or just any nights in general, if she's being honest with herself.

She has a rule that he isn't allowed to sleep in her bed, but it's moot because half the time he doesn't listen and half the time Lucy ends up passed out on the couch with him. At this points, they're so beyond the point of being embarrassed about it, that neither really care anymore. They cuddle, it's a thing, so what? It's just what they do.

Lucy frowns slightly, confused by how unaffected she is by them just having _mind-blowing sex_ —at least, it was in her opinion; Natsu seemed to enjoy himself, so she figures the feeling is mutual—with her best friend. She should be freaking out right now, or at least have a response that's not just "yeah, okay, whatever." Things like this don't just _happen_. No one slips and accidentally has sex with someone, like "oops! I tripped and fell on my best friend's penis! Silly me!"

Her brows furrow, Lucy more confused and a tad excited than she should be, feeling Natsu's fingers slide down the curve of her spine, dragging over each vertebrae slowly, dragging a shiver from her. Natsu appears not to notice, gaze trained on the T.V. Despite this, he seems hyper aware of her, shifting to better accommodate her whenever she gets restless, stroking at her hair whenever she's startled by a loud noise from the movie.

She isn't sure if he's actually paying attention, or if Natsu is just incredibly in tune with her after so many years together, but he's always attentive when it comes to her body-language, knowing exactly what to do.

Lucy figures she's a bit the same. It happens, after knowing someone for roughly six years and counting.

Ignoring the explosions and talking raccoon on the screen, Lucy shifts, propping her chin against Natsu's chest and nosing at his jaw until he peels his eyes away from the screen and blinks down at her, a smile immediately lighting up his features when his green eyes take her in. His free hand comes up to brush her messy bangs out of her eyes, shoving a strand of hair behind her ear, thumb brushing against her cheek as he does.

"We just had sex," Lucy tells him, fingers drumming against his side in thought. She bites her lip, worrying it between her teeth as she tries to figure out what the fuck they're supposed to do. They didn't teach her this in Sex Ed. Granted, they didn't teach her much of anything in that class besides telling her to just not have sex.

She learned most of her knowledge on sex from Cana and very awkward conversations with her cousin Laxus, which Lucy really could have done without, if she's being completely honest. That was probably the worst experience of her entire life, right behind her mother's funeral.

Her blasé statement surprises him into a laugh, Natsu's entire body shaking beneath her as he throws his head back against the arm of the couch. Lucy glares, her hand sliding up his body to pinch his neck until he sobers up. This is _not_ a laughing matter. His laugh turns into a squeak when she catches the thin skin at the base of his neck between her nails, giving a sharp squeeze. He pouts down at her, squirming away from her dastardly fingers.

"We did," he agrees, quirking a brow at her, head tilting to one side in confusion, unsure what she's getting at. His hands slide lower on her back, fingers squeezing around her hips gently, testing the waters.

She squirms against him slightly, flushing as she remembers where those fingers have been—where his _mouth_ has been. Though, she supposes she isn't much better in that department, though she can't say she regrets any of it, especially not getting such a good look at Natsu's face twisted with pleasure, his eyes squeezed shut and lips parted as he gasped for breath.

Yeah, Lucy isn't going to forget _that_ for a very long time.

Biting her lip, Lucy shifts her weight against him slightly, panties sticky against her core in the best way. A thrill shoots through her, her toes curling against the worn fabric of the couch, her feet tangled in the rumpled blanket at the other end. "And it was good sex," she notes, wetting her lips and glancing away from him, her entire face feeling hot.

Again, he laughs, voice low and rough from their earlier activities. Natsu has always been a talker, she knows, but she was never aware of just how _loud_ he could be at times. "Well, I would hope so," he jokes, grinning down at her. He smile slips away when he sees her nervous expression, his gaze immediately going hard, a seriousness overtaking him. "You okay?" He presses up on his elbows, unwinding from her and sitting up just enough to get a better look at her. "Lucy, if I did something you didn't like—"

"No!" Lucy snaps, cutting him off and sitting up on his chest so she can look down at him. "God, no!" She slips into his lap, catching his face in her hands when she sees the flash of panic in his eyes. Lucy smiles down at him, stroking his cheeks to reassure him that she's fine and isn't mad at him at all. "It's nothing like that," she promises, straddling his hips and letting her hands trace the curve of his jaw. "Just—we had sex," she repeats.

He smiles up at her, flopping back down as the tension slips from his shoulders easily, Natsu relaxing beneath her. "I think that's been established," he murmurs, sending her a familiar fond look, the same one he has when she starts ranting about words with the same spelling but two different meanings or when she wins at silly board games.

Lucy nods, drumming her fingers against his chest, hands slipping to his shoulders to help prop her up. "What now?" she asks him, worry flickering in her eyes. She catches her lips between her teeth, pinching down until the pain makes her release the skin, not wanting to make herself bleed.

Natsu frowns up at her, eyes narrowing in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Shrugging, Lucy shifts on his lap, suddenly feeling uncomfortable with the conversation. It's not everyday she tries to talk to her best friend about sex, especially when she's just had sex with said best friend. Her life has suddenly become a bad sitcom, it would seem. "Like, do we pretend it didn't happen, or…" she trails off slowly, waving a hand in the air between the. "Do we do it again?" She meets his gaze shyly, taking a deep breath before making a rather bold move.

She rocks above him, grinding her hips against his and delighting in the startled hiss she drags from Natsu. She leans in slightly, lips skimming the shell of his ear. "Because if I'm being honest," she breathes against him, hips still gyrating slowly, "I'd really like to do that again."

"Yeah," he replies, voice thick with lust. Natsu's hands come up to latch onto her hips, thumbing at the bare skin. He peeks up at her through his lashes, swallowing thickly when he meets her gaze. "Yeah, we can do that."

Lucy sits back up, expression serious as she looks down at him, fingers drumming nervously against his chest. "No strings attached, right?" she asks, voice cracking slightly. She has to make sure they're on the same page—has to make sure she isn't getting her hopes up for something more than that. Lucy squishes the stray thought down, ignoring the slight burn in her chest and the sick, twisting feeling in her gut. They're just friends—all they'll ever _be_ is friends.

And if her thoughts are a bit bitter, well, Lucy would deny it.

Something like hurt flashes in his eyes, but it's gone before Lucy can be sure it was there at all. It's two A.M. and maybe she's just seeing things after a long day, because she blinks and Natsu is simply grinning up at her, nodding slowly. "Right," he agrees, swallowing thickly. His eyes aren't nearly as bright as before, but she chalks it up to a long day.

Lucy nods in return, looking more sure of herself than she really feels. She squeezes his shoulder. "So we're just two friends—"

"Best friends," Natsu cuts her off, eyes narrowing just the slightest.

"— _best_ friends," she corrects, smiling down at him fondly, a hand coming up to brush his bangs away from his eyes, "that have casual, really great sex." The word casual hangs between them, almost like a lie, but Lucy tries not to think about it. Could they even do _casual_?

Yes, she thinks, they can. She knows that Natsu can do anything if he puts his mind to it, and Lucy is just as stubborn as he is. Between the two of them, this friends with benefits thing should be a breeze.

He smirks up at her, eyes flashing with mischief. He yanks her down against him suddenly, making Lucy at the sudden shift in balance. his arms coil around her tightly, Natsu pressing his lips against her temple in a chaste kiss. "Sounds good," he mumbles against her skin, squeezing her in a tight hug that makes her giggle.

"Yeah," she says against his ear, twisting to press a wet, sloppy kiss against his cheek. Natsu wrinkles his nose, sending her a dramatically disgusted look, but she only laughs and wiggles her way down into her original position, feeling lighter all of a sudden, not as burdened with nerves.

How could she ever think she would just lose him like that? She knows Natsu better than she knows anyone else, including herself. She knows he's not going anywhere, not so long as he can help it. He would never leave her behind.

They laps into a long bout of silence, simply enjoying each others presence and watching the rest of the moving, Lucy growing drowsy after her long day. Fridays always leave her exhausted, but Saturdays are her day off, so she knows she can stay up for as long as she wants, though Monday morning will be a bitch. Granted, Mondays are always the worst. They just suck a tiny bit more when she hasn't gotten enough sleep.

Natsu's hand runs along her back, touching anywhere he can reach, and Lucy's eyes slip shut, her entire body feeling heavy with sleep as she curls against him, letting her arm dangle off the edge of the couch, fingers drawing shapes against the smooth wood of the flooring. She cringes when she feels something sticky against her hand, groaning when she realizes there's still a mess of popcorn on the floor.

That's certainly going to be a bitch to cleanup tomorrow, though, Lucy decides that's a problem for her future self.

After several minutes tick by, Lucy huffs and raises her head to look at him, noticing the movie is coming to an end, though the credits aren't yet rolling. Not that it matters, Lucy thinks, rolling her eyes fondly. Natsu's only seen this movie a good dozen times already.

"Hey, Natsu?" she slurs, voice thick with sleep. She wriggles against him, suddenly wanting nothing more than to just crawl into bed and curl up with him, the long night finally catching up with her. She's going to be sore in the morning, she can tell, and as comfortable as Natsu is, she knows she'll sleep a lot better in her own bed just a few feet away. They can happily resume things there.

He turns back to her, so close she can feel his warm breath against her lips. "Yeah, Luce?" he whispers back, fingers pattering against her spine and tickling her, making Lucy giggle lightly. He peeks at her through the darkness, light from the screen illuminating only half his face.

She props her chin against his chest, blinking up at his when he raises a brow, silently asking what she needs after it takes her a moment to respond. "Wanna go to bed?" she asks him. His eyes widen and Lucy suddenly feels horribly awkward for asking, wondering if maybe she should have just kept her mouth shut. Having sex with him on the couch is one thing, inviting him into her literal bed is entirely different.

Though, Lucy finds she doesn't really care.

He frowns, but it's more teasing than anything else. "I thought I was only allowed on the couch?" he jokes, sighing as he sits up, Lucy groaning when she's forced to move with him. She huffs, tossing her arms loosely around his neck and shifting so that she's straddling his hips.

"Well, you also just gave me a screaming orgasm," she reminds him, gasping when he shifts his grip on her and stands, Lucy becoming airborne. She squeaks, grip around him tightening as his hands curl around her thighs, Natsu wobbling slightly before steadying himself. "So I think I can allow you to sleep in my bed," she finishes, legs squeezing around him.

She can feel his grin against the side of her head, his hand shifting to squeeze her ass suggestively. "I can give you another, if you ask nicely," he says hoarsely, pressing her hips tight against his.

Lucy thinks she might just take him up on that offer.

* * *

Lucy wakes up to an annoying beeping sound. She groans, rolling away from the incessant chirp and curls closer against her bedmate, pressing her face into the crook of Natsu's neck to block out the sunlight slipping in from between her curtains. He mumbles something sleepily in response, pulling her tighter against his chest, arms tight around her naked back. Their legs tangle together beneath the sheets, one of Natsu's legs wedged high between her thighs, his knee bumping against her still sensitive core with every shift of his body.

She groans, wincing slightly at the burning in her thighs. The soreness is expected, of course, but that doesn't mean it isn't going to be a pain in the ass later. She supposes it won't last long, it won't be bad if she just relaxes for a little while, but she doesn't know if she'll get the chance. Between the two of them, Lucy doesn't think she and Natsu are going to catch much of break in the sex department, considering they jumped each other pretty much as soon as Natsu kicked her door shut and tossed her on the bed.

Sighing against his neck, Lucy curls her arms around his back, nails raking down his spine gently, making him squirm against her. He murmurs something sleepily against her, Lucy hesitating only a moment, nosing at her collarbone before leaning up to press her lips against the side of his throat, placing a series of slow, soft kisses along the length of his neck. Natsu groans in response, stirring against her.

He doesn't seem to have any complaints about her rude awakening, Natsu growling at her before rolling the two of them so that he's settled on top of her. Lucy giggles as he nuzzles into her neck sleepily, whispering a rough version of her name against her throat. He shifts against her, morning wood pressing against her thigh as he rocks against her lazily, lips trailing along the length of her neck.

Natsu presses his lips against her jaw, just shy of her lips. Natsu pushes up on his elbows, raising a brow at her when Lucy grins up at him, her hips wiggling against his slowly. "Are you trying to seduce me, already?" he asks, narrowing his eyes playfully. His fingers play with a loose strand of her hair, winding it around his finger before leaning down to bump his nose against hers gently.

"Maybe," she murmurs, barely getting the word out before Natsu's lips seal over hers, the kiss hot and wet as he immediately parts his lips, tracing his tongue across her lower lip before taking it in his mouth, nibbling at her gently. Lucy sighs against him, tangling her fingers in his hair instantly, giving a gentle tug.

Huffing a laugh, Natsu smiles against her, sucking on her lower lip gently, moving far slower than the previous night as his fingers drag along the curve of her waist, touch softer than anything she's ever felt before.

They stay like that for some time, simply locked in each others arms, stealing soft, sloppy kisses, content to trade lazy pecks and breathy laughs.

Natsu grinds down against her suddenly, hips pressing into her thigh, and Lucy gasps against him, pulling back to suck in a ragged breath. The sound is cut off by the sudden ringing of her alarm, this one louder than the last. Groaning, she reaches for her phone, Natsu shifting to press sloppy kisses against her neck, finding a particularly tender spot from the night before and suckling her skin. Lucy shivers beneath him, swallowing a moan when he nips at her skin, darkening the hickey he's left behind.

Her phone reads eleven-forty-eight, quite a bit later than she usually wakes up, but she supposes that Natsu did keep her up for quite a while. _That_ , however, isn't what makes her pause. No, it's the notification bubble below that, a simple message that reads "Erza is coming."

"Shit," Lucy swears, tossing her phone back down on her side table. She scrambles beneath him, shoving at his chest in a panic. She forgot about girl's day. How could she forget about girl's day? Erza's going to fucking _kill_ her. "Natsu, get up!" she barks at him, giving him another shove.

He backs off immediately, ripping away from her with wide, panicked eyes. "What?" he gasps, glancing down at her with a wild expression, concern clear on his face. "What's wrong?" he repeats, checking to make sure she isn't hurt. "Lucy, hey—"

"Girl's day!" she snaps at him, scrambling out from underneath him as she dives for her closet, scooping up his discarded shirt on the way and slipping it over her head, nearly tripping as she does. "Natsu, it's girl's day!"

Shit, if Erza shows up to find her not ready—not to mention tangled up in her sheets with _Natsu_ , of all people—Erza will have her head. This is not how she wants them to find out about this, not even in the slightest. Fuck, she can't believe she forgot about girl's day. They had to have exhausting, amazing sex right before girl's day, of all things.

Natsu groans, rolling his eyes as he flops onto his back, giving Lucy a very nice view of his very naked body. She sends him an appreciative glance, but only for a moment before going back to her task of getting ready. "So what?" he asks her, huffing. "Just skip it and come back to bed."

She levels him with a stare, horror in her eyes. "Natsu," she starts gently, wondering if he's lost it, "it's girl's day. Erza's coming." she reminds him.

He's out of her bed in a flash, grabbing his discarded pants and yanking them up over his hips, struggling with the zipper. "Fuck," he growls, "Lucy, I'll see you later," he promises, grabbing her in a fierce kiss that makes her toes curl, her back arching into him.

He's gone without another word, Lucy feeling lightheaded, though she can't be sure if it's from that kiss, or the fear gripping at her heart.

* * *

Honestly, Lucy is fairly surprised that the day is going as smoothly as it is. No mishaps, no awkward situations, no deaths by bludgeoning in her apartment. Lucy would definitely call that a win, especially the no death part. She thought Natsu would be a goner there for a second.

He wasn't gone by the time noon came around, which put them dangerously close to the potential of having Erza storm in on them. Somehow in the midst of Lucy fighting with her hair and Natsu searching for his left sock, they ended up making out against the bathroom counter—Lucy with her legs coiled around Natsu's hips, hands in his hair, on his neck, tugging at his belt, and Natsu with his hands everywhere, hips slowly rocking against Lucy's. As such, when Lucy's final alarm went off to tell her _Erza was probably literally at the door right now_ , they both panicked, parting with a quick, sloppy kiss before Natsu left her apartment for real, sans sock and all.

Erza rather politely, for once, knocked on her door exactly fifty-eight seconds later, apologizing profusely for being late and informing her that an accident had occurred just down the street. She assured Lucy that it was nothing terrible, just an old man—who probably shouldn't be driving in the first place—running into a vendor's stall on the sidewalk. No one was hurt, luckily, but the vendor wasn't happy about the loss of his cabbages.

If Erza ran into Natsu on his way out, the girl didn't say.

Not that it would have been such a big deal if Erza did. Natsu regularly sleeps at her place, all of their friends know that. They've been teasing the pair about it for years, much to Lucy's annoyance. It's just that Natsu usually doesn't stay over until the PM, typically leaving earlier so he could work out. He occasionally stays over later, but only after a night of heavy drinking, which only happens when one of them needs to blackout wasted. That only happens maybe four times a year, at most, in the wake of death-days and being miserable over shitty exes.

If Lucy had to guess, she would say Erza wouldn't have thought anything of it, however, Lucy really didn't want any of them finding out about what happened from anyone _but_ her. She loves Erza, she really does, but the girl can't keep a secret to save her life. She always ends up blurting them out at the worst possible times, like back in their first year of college when Lucy made a wayward comment about Gajeel having a nice ass and as soon as Erza got a decent look herself, she had loudly commented that _"Wow, Lucy! You're right! Gajeel does have a rather magnificent butt!"_

She died a little that day.

Luckily, the morning went without incident. Natsu managed to sneak out of her apartment without getting caught—totally not a walk of shame—Erza didn't find them going at it on her bathroom counter, and no one noticed—or had the balls to comment on—the rather obvious hickies littering Lucy neck. She didn't have time to cover them this morning, what with Natsu's mouth being in the way, so she settled with keeping her hair down, silently wishing it wasn't summer so she could get away with wearing a scarf. Be that as it may, the girl's had the decency not to ask about it in the middle of their favorite café.

Though, that wouldn't be the strangest thing they've talked about here.

"Girl's Day" is really just a glorified lunch that extends at least three to four hours, nothing fancy, just enough time for all of them to catch up at least once a week, discussing anything that's come up recently. It's not that they never have time for each other, it's just that it's hard for the six of them to all be in the same space at the same time, what with so many conflicting schedules.

She's been debating telling them about what happened for the last half-hour, their time slowly running out. Sure, she could simply tell them all individually, or just wait until next month, but she knows now is the best time to do it, partly so she only has to explain things once, but also because she's pretty sure they'd kill her if she waited the extra month to tell them.

Lucy doesn't really feel like dying, if she's being honest, so that means she'll probably just have to spit it out within the next ten minutes and hope to God the world doesn't implode.

"I had sex with Natsu last night," she blurts, drawing the conversation to a screeching halt. She can practically hear the gears turning in their heads, all of them slow to process that bit of information. They've been joking about her and Natsu hooking-up for years, now that it's actually happened they don't know what to do with themselves.

It's very satisfying to see the bewildered expressions on their faces, five pairs of eyes blinking at her in utter silence, varying looks of surprise crossing their faces, a slow realization coming to them, Lucy able to pinpoint the exact second it really hits them.

If Lucy had known this is how they'd react, she would have fucked Natsu ages ago.

Lisanna, surprisingly, is the first to snap out of it. She blinks at Lucy slowly, mouth moving, but no words coming out. A slow, elated look crosses her face, Lisanna having been on Lucy's case since high school about how perfect she and Natsu would be together, going so far as to set up strategically placed mistletoe on Christmas one year, only be faced with crushing disappointment when Lucy had instead ended up kissing Elfman, much to her disgust. "You had sex with Natsu," she repeats, slowly, like she's still coming to terms with it.

Levy and Erza slowly seem to be coming to the same hard realization, Juvia and Cana not far behind.

Lucy nods, taking a long drink from her lemonade and leaving her friends to their confusion. "That's what I said, yes," she tells them after a moment, smiling at them, feeling very much the cat that got the cream. There is literally nothing that could ruin her good mood today. She got some last night—this morning?—and frankly it was incredible. She and Natsu are fine, nothing awkward between them, considering how quickly they tried to jump each other this morning. She's feeling pretty good about herself right now!

She pretends not to hear Cana's gasp or _loud_ questioning about how "big" he is.

Lucy suddenly feels several pairs of eyes on her, only half of them coming from her table. She shoots Cana a nasty look, but her friend merely smirks in reply, entirely cheeky about shouting something so crude in the middle of a café, of all places. There are old people here and they _will_ judge her.

There's an excited babble of questions from the girls, varying from innocent enough to personally invasive and she will never answer that _out loud Juvia_. It's Erza that manages to quiet them, her friend staring her down from across the table. "So you're dating now?" It doesn't sound like a question, but Lucy decides to pretend it is.

Shaking her head slowly, Lucy glances down at her glass, tracing the rim with her finger as she bites her lower lip. She's not sure if they'll be disappointed or not, but this part of the conversation is what she was dreading. "No," she says simply, peeking up at them through her lashes. "No ,we're not."

A little voice in her head tells her that they _could_ be, but Lucy squishes it down before it can fester, not wanting to deal with that right now.

Erza slaps a hand onto the table violently, their glasses shaking with the force and Juvia nearly spilling her ice tea all over Cana. "Lucy, were you drunk?" Erza whisper-shouts, her eyes narrowing in a way that makes Lucy think someone's going to die. "Did he take advantage of you? Because if he did, I swear I'll—"

"No!" Lucy yelps, cutting her off. More eyes turn towards the group, Lucy ducking her head as she continues, quieter this time. "No, God, no!" She sends Erza a fierce, disbelieving look, unable to process where _that_ came from. "Natsu would never do something like that, and you know it!" she snaps, feeling defensive over her friend. She doesn't like the implication there, not even a little.

Juvia frowns, evidently not understanding the concept of friends with benefits. Not that Lucy blames her. Juvia is about as innocent as they come, never dealing with having a horrible string of relationships like Lucy or Cana, God bless her. She remembers one time in college when they were playing Cards Against Humanity, it was a wild night for all of them, but Juvia's blush lasted for two days.

"So you just had sex?" she asks curiously, blinking at Lucy slowly.

Again, she nods. It's a pretty simple concept, though she figures they're just in shock. "Yup!" she tells them, popping the p. "We talked about it," amongst other things, "and it's just going to be casual." Well, as casual as they can be, what with them spending the majority of their time off together and all. Completely casual.

"So, fuck buddies."

Lucy wrinkles her nose, sending her friend a nasty look. "Don't say it like that!" she snaps, eyes narrowing dangerously. "You know he means more to me than that, Cana." Honestly, she's a bit offended by the statement. Natsu will _always_ be more to her than just some warm body. He's her friend above all other things.

Erza sends her a confused look. "Why don't you just ask him out?" she asks calmly, more curious than accusing, for once. Erza says it like it's an obvious suggestion, like clearly it's just that easy. Lucy can't blame her, she's been with Jellal for five years and counting, so she likely doesn't understand Lucy's problem here, though not for lack of compassion.

"Because Natsu doesn't like me?" she replies, confused.

Cana scoffs, rolling her eyes. "I'm pretty sure he likes you, considering apparently you two _banged_ last night," she jokes, leaning forward and resting her chin on her hand, wiggling her brows at Lucy.

She makes a face at Cana, wrinkling her nose. "Finding someone attractive doesn't mean you want to date them," she argues. "If it did, I would be happily married to Loke." She shivers, just imagining the look on the manwhore's face if Lucy ever did agree to marry him.

He's asked her before.

Twice.

Lisanna giggles, smirking as she shares a look with Lucy. "I don't think anyone could be happily married to Loke," she jokes. The girl had also been one of Loke's _many_ objects of affection until Elfman managed to chase him off.

"This is stupid," Levy snaps suddenly, chair screeching as it scrapes across the floor. "You're both stupid." Lucy starts to protest, hurt, but Levy cuts her off. "No, listen to me!" She glares at Lucy from across the table, expression more stern than Lucy has ever seen it. "This friends with benefits situation never ends well." Lucy bites her tongue to keep from asking if Levy's speaking from experience, considering she hasn't seen Jet for a long time. "You two are going to burn each other out and someone's going to fuck it up."

Lucy is already shaking her head by the time Levy is finished. "We won't," she snaps back, eyes narrowing. She's never fought with Levy before, and she really doesn't like it. "It's me and Natsu," she reminds the girl. "We'd be friends no matter what."

Levy laughs in response, shaking her head. "Yeah? Well don't come crying to me when you get your heart broken." She storms out without another word, gone before Lucy can call her back.

Correction: there's one thing that could ruin her good mood.

* * *

Natsu can't believe he's doing the walk of shame, and from Lucy's house, no less. Sure, he's done the walk several times in the past. Not many, but enough to know how _awkward_ it all is. It's like everyone just knows what happened last night as they pass him, somehow knowing that he's just woken up after a night of mind-blowing sex with his best friend. Natsu's pretty sure he has a stupid look on his face, so that's probably a giveaway, if he's being honest with himself.

Though, frankly, he doesn't feel as awkward as he should about what happened between them or even spending the night—a regular occurrence between the two of them, considering Lucy is a cuddler and somehow they always end up wrapped up in each other no matter what they're doing—no, Natsu doesn't feel awkward at all. If anything, he feels more relaxed than he thinks he should, lighter, almost. His limbs and head feel heavy, but in a good way. It's the same feeling he gets after winning a fight, once the adrenaline is gone all that's left is pure relief, some sort of satisfaction.

He just hopes he doesn't fuck it all up.

Of course, the walk of shame didn't come without some incidents. He'd nearly been caught by Erza on his way out of Lucy's apartment, and she probably would have walked in on them if Lucy's phone hadn't have gone off at the worst possible time. He'd been working his way down Lucy's neck when it happened, grinding against her and _so close_ to making her sob his name, her toes curling against his back.

That's something he'll have to make up for later. He can't very well leave Lucy hanging like that, and he's pretty sure he's suffering from a mild case of blue-balls. There's also a rock in his shoe that keeps poking at his toes, much to his annoyance. He hadn't been able to find his sock, but he's pretty sure it'll turn up at some point.

He'll just have to go back and find it tonight.

Natsu sighs, running a hand through his messy hair as he comes up to his apartment complex, not for the first time wishing he lived closer to Lucy. Usually, he doesn't mind the walk, but it always makes him a bit nervous knowing she's so far away. There's always a what is nagging at him. What if something happens? What if she's hurt? What if he can't make it in time? It's not something he likes to think about, but he always does, secretly terrified with the fact that she lives all by herself halfway across town. Lucy can handle herself, he knows, but that doesn't mean he likes the thought of her being alone all the time. It's part of the reason he's over so often. Natsu will be damned before he ever lets someone hurt her.

And that includes himself. Natsu would never forgive himself if he did something to hurt Lucy. He's pretty sure he would hate himself for doing anything like that. There was a moment last night where he thought he did something she didn't like and it scared the shit out of him. He promised himself a long time ago that he'd take care of her, always, and Natsu's not going to let his damn libido fuck that up.

His dick means a hell of a lot less to him than Lucy ever has, and that's the way things are going to stay. The day he starts putting sex above Lucy's happiness is the day he asks Gray to shove him into oncoming traffic.

The stairs creak beneath him as he jogs up the last flight, his apartment on the third of four floors. It's a pain in the ass, at times, but he supposes it's better than living on the ground floor and having people look in at him. That happened once when Gray was still living with Cana and Natsu was visiting. He nearly pissed himself when he saw someone peeking through the window, trying to get a good look at a severely underdressed Cana.

Turns out, it wasn't just some random pervert. No, it was an entirely familiar pervert, Loke knocking on the window and sending Cana a very suggestive look. Unfortunately for Loke, Cana turned him down.

Granted, he's pretty sure he's never seen anyone fall for Loke's quote unquote "charm" as he likes to put it.

The problem with Loke, he thinks, is that the other man thinks girls are stupid and would fall into bed with any guy with a pretty face, whereas most girls probably wouldn't give two shits about a guy with about as much personality as a wet paper bag laying in the middle of the road on a Tuesday.

He's not trying to be mean, really, but Loke has all of two settings: womanizer and dudebro. Sometimes they overlap, but usually it all depends on whether there's a female within a twenty foot radius. The guy can be perfectly normal—almost too normal, in fact—or the most smarmy person Natsu has ever met. And that's saying something, considering he knew this guy named Bora in high school. The dude was a self-proclaimed sex god and kept a journal of all the woman in the school that he had or "would" sleep with, rating them and writing graphic and disgusting things about them.

Natsu may or may not have lit it on fire after finding out that Lucy was Bora's next big score, and if Bora woke up one morning to a pile of flaming dog shit on his front lawn, well, he had no proof that it was Natsu.

Natsu kicks open the front door, yawning to himself and stretching his arms over his head, joints cracking loudly. He slams the door shut behind him, knowing that he's most likely alone, what with Gray probably being out with whatever booty call he had last night. Not that Natsu is one to talk, but still.

Gray never has been one to settle down, preferring the emo-lone-wolf to dating. The theater major is weird that way, but Natsu figures that's not his business.

He hurries into his room, yanking off his belt before he even makes it inside, wanting to change fast and head back to Lucy's as soon as possible. She probably won't be home until later, but he doesn't mind waiting. Maybe he'll bring Happy with him, knowing Lucy would be elated to see the little cat again. His brow furrows in thought, Natsu yanking his shirt off over his head and searching for a clean one. He considers just bringing an extra set of cloths with him, but doesn't know if Lucy would mind or not.

"I'm surprised to see you here," a voice drawls from behind him, Natsu jumping slightly in surprise. He whirls around, wide-eyed, only to come face-to-face with Gray, his roommate staring at him curiously, as if knowing something is off, but not knowing what. He quirks a brow at Natsu, head tilting to one side in thought, but doesn't say anything else.

Natsu bares his teeth at his friend, sending him a nasty glare. "Holy fuck, Gray," he snarls at the other man, more annoyed than mad. He was hoping he would be able to slip out again without any questions, but he doubts that's going to happen now. "You scared the shit out of me!"

Gray frowns, head cocking to one side in confusion. "Usually you hear me coming," he notes, an edge of suspicion in his voice. He looks like he wants to ask if something's wrong, but they both know he won't, not unless Gray thinks it's something serious.

"Yeah, well…" Natsu trails off, shrugging. He considers telling Gray about what happened, but ultimately decides not to, both because he doesn't want to have the conversation about how good Lucy is in bed—the answer would be "absolutely fucking fantastic" but that's beside the point—but also because he has no interest in getting lectured by Gray about how dumb he's being and how in love with Lucy he is and how this isn't going to end well and how Natsu better not hurt her or else.

Like Gray, of all people, has the right to lecture Natsu on taking care of Lucy. He's been doing that since they were sixteen and Lucy was the new girl in school, everyone ignoring her until Natsu finally decided she needed a friend.

Yeah, because he's _totally_ going to hurt Lucy in any way.

Frankly, Natsu thinks he took pretty damn good care of Lucy last night, if her breathy little moans were any indication. Or how she jumped him a second time this morning.

"Whatcha thinkin' about?"

Natsu blinks at the question. "I'm not thinking about anything," he says. Well, nothing beside how good Lucy tastes and how he'd really like to bend her over his table and—He shakes the thought away, blinking twice. He's pretty sure he's only making his blue-balls worse, but he can't help but think about her. Lucy has always been a lot of things: smart, funny, pretty, but he never really considered sexy as fuck until she was peeking up at him through her lashes with her lips wrapped around his cock.

He should probably stop thinking about that.

His response must come out meaner than expected, because Gray doesn't reply with something snippy, only frowns, concern flashing in his eyes. "What's got you so crabby today?" he asks, pushing off from the door frame and stepping further into Natsu's room, coming to stand only a few feet away. "Usually spending the night at Lucy's puts you in a good mood." Gray has no idea how _good_ of a mood Lucy puts him in. "Seriously, Natsu, you okay?" he asks.

"I'm fine, Gray." His balls feel like they're about to low-key explode, but other than that he feels fine. Better than usual, if he's being honest. "Just got a lot on my mind." An understatement. Or maybe an overstatement. He's not sure. All he's really thinking about is the best ways to touch Lucy to make her scream for him. It's a long list. Lucy is pretty vocal and Natsu can't say he doesn't appreciate that.

Eyes narrowing, Gray nods slowly, lips pressed into a thin line. His disbelief is clear, but Natsu isn't going to tell him anything. Not yet. "Well," he starts, shoving his hands into his pockets after shoving his dark hair away from his eyes, "if you need to talk…" he trails off.

"I know where to find you," Natsu tells him, grinning slightly. He'd never admit it out loud, but Gray is a pretty great friend, even if he is an asshole ninety percent of the time.

A beat passes, the pair of them twiddling their thumbs and trying to pretend things around weird all of a sudden. "So!" Gray asks him, too bright and obviously fake. Gray is only a good actor when he's trying to be someone else. "How late were you two up? Usually you're home before noon."

Natsu swallows, unsure how long the two of them were actually awake last night. It was hard to tell between hazy kisses and the feel of Lucy's lips on his neck. He wasn't exactly checking the time when he was kissing his way down her stomach. "We passed out around three," he guesses, shrugging. "long night."

Gray nods in response. "What'd you watch?" he questions, it sounding more accusing than curious, though Natsu can't for the life of him understand why.

"Nosy," he grumbles, mostly joking. Gray glares at him and Natsu rolls his eyes, not knowing why it's important, but knowing if he doesn't respond Gray will just bitch at him until he does. "Marvel universe," he says simply, not wanting to list all of them. The movies weren't exactly the important part of last night, after all.

Snorting, Gray shakes his head, quirking an unimpressed brow. "Did she fall asleep?" he jokes. They both know Lucy isn't the biggest far of superhero movies, mostly because she's annoyed with the obnoxiously frequent Spiderman remakes. Lucy is a fan of practically everything else, funnily enough. She likes everything from romance to horror and everything in between, even if she does fall for the jump-scares every single time.

Natsu laughs in response, giving a quick nod as he goes back to looking for a shirt, yanking on one of his favorites over his head, black with a pattern of red dragon scales creeping up from the left side. "Twice," he tells Gray after a moment, frowning slightly. "I think. It's hard to tell." After all, Lucy's never been much of a talker during movies, not once she actually gets into them.

Not that he can blame her for being tired last night. He was pretty exhausted himself. The only thing really keeping him awake was Lucy fidgeting every so often. Every time she moved her hair would tickle his chest, touch light and teasing, even if it wasn't on purpose.

Gray gasps in mock surprise, leaning back against the wall as Natsu tosses a few clean shirts onto his bed, wondering how long he can avoid doing laundry. Maybe he can ask Lucy for help. Her clothes are always so much softer than his, much to his annoyance. Granted, he does enjoy playing with the hems of her shirts, enjoying twisting the fabric around his fingers, feeling how soft them are. He just wishes he could make his clothes that soft. Though, Lucy never seems to complain about how soft they are or aren't, constantly stealing his shirts and sweaters to wear at night.

He thinks they look better on her anyway.

"You leaving again?" Gray asks him, chin jerking towards the pile of shirts. He raises a brow, seeming to note Natsu's eagerness to leave so soon. His eyes alight with understanding and Natsu bites back a groan, rolling his eyes. Gray sends him a smirk and Natsu considers punching him in the face. Punching Gray makes everything better, after all. "Heading to your girlfriend's?" Gray snickers at his own joke.

For a moment, Natsu's temper flares, but he shoves down his immediate response of screaming and throwing a wild punch. He's more mature than that. Sometimes. He would pick a fight with Gray, but he has a fight this weekend and can't afford to screw around. Maybe two years ago he wouldn't care, but he likes to think he's grown up a little bit.

"Lucy's not my girlfriend," is all he says, reaching down to scratch Happy under the chin when the cat finally slinks out of whatever hiding place he's been napping in.

"It's adorable that you can't go more than two hours without seeing your not-girlfriend," Gray tells him, sarcasm bubbling on his tongue. "You know, if I didn't need the help paying for rent, I would tell you to just move in with her." Natsu doesn't think it's a joke, but it's slipping into dangerous territory, so he pretends that's all it is.

"Fuck you, Gray," he says simply, sending the other man a nasty look.

Gray sneers. "You kiss your mother with that mouth?"

* * *

It's not until he's sitting alone in Lucy apartment and waiting for her to come back home that it finally _really_ hits him what they did last night. They had sex. Great sex. That isn't the problem though. Sure, they probably shouldn't have just done that without a second thought—though, he's pretty sure there was ample time for one of them to stop things if they really wanted to. It's not like either of them were being forced to make out with each other—but that's not the concerning part.

Nothing's changed. Things aren't awkward, not even in the slightest. He would have thought things would a bit weird for them, all things considered, but everything is perfectly normal. He's pretty sure that's not how things are supposed to be, but they've never been the most conventional of people.

He used to climb in through her window every night during college and Lucy had never protested much, at least, not in a serious way. Sure, she'd yell at him a bit, but that was more because he was scaling a three story building, more so than the breaking and entering part. Usually by the time she got around to yelling about that she'd be laughing too hard to sound serious.

Regardless, things don't feel weird, which kind of makes things weird. The lack of weirdness, that is. He thinks that's a paradox, but he isn't sure—paradoxes confuse the shit out of him, and Natsu wouldn't be the least bit upset if they all just fucking went away—either way, Natsu thinks things should have been more awkward this morning. He's had his fair share of hook-ups in the past and they've always been weird as all hell and, for the most part, not worth it.

Things were always tense in the morning and usually one or both of them would end up leaving in the middle of the night or right after, there was never any cuddling involved. Not intentionally, anyway. He remembers one time he ended up traipsing down a two story fire escape in the middle of winter, still buzzed and half-naked. He'd made it all the way to Lucy's apartment before remembering that he'd forgotten to put on his shoes and nearly froze off his toes.

He didn't go back for the shoes.

It was awful and weird and probably not worth it, but he can't say the same for what happened with Lucy last night and into the early hours of the morning. Nothing changed between them, something he isn't sure if he should be happy or bitter about. He's glad things aren't weird between them. He cares about Lucy far too much to let something as stupid as spur of the moment sex ruin what they have. Though, he's also disappointed that they're the same as they've always been. He's not entirely sure why that disappoints him—a lie, but he would never admit it—but something about the easy way they fell into things makes his stomach twist painfully.

The word "casual" echoes through his mind and he winces, the word tasting bitter in his mouth. His lip curls slightly, but he shakes it off, nose wrinkling. The word stung, cutting him deeply in a way he hadn't expected, but it's not her fault. Lucy was nervous, he knows. She's always been a worrier. Even when they were younger she's always been the voice of reason, the proverbial angel on his shoulder reminding him not to do stupid shit like pulling the fire alarm to get her out of her speech class when she was freaking out about speaking in front of everyone—he didn't listen to her that time, but she didn't seem _too_ upset with him.

Lucy's never liked change, it's always scared her, at least a little. He knows she needed to make sure they were okay, that everything was fine between them and they weren't going to _break_. Something about his relationship with Lucy has always seemed fragile, not their friendship, but something else, something deeper. Ever since high school it's like they've been wavering on a thin line, and if either of them moved too fast things would snap.

He isn't sure what would break, but the thought scares him. Lucy is his best friend and he doesn't know what he'd do if he lost her because of something like this. He doesn't think he'd be able to handle that, having her so close but so far away from him emotionally. He's always tried to be the one person she can trust when everyone else keeps failing her. He won't fuck that up.

Sighing to himself, Natsu shakes his head and leans back further into the couch, head tilting backwards as he squeezes his eyes shut. He doesn't want to think about any of it right now. He would rather them just figure things out as they go, rather than worry himself to death and panic over nothing.

It's the two of them, what could go wrong? They've always worked things out, moving passed any hiccups along the way. Granted, if things go wrong this time it'll be more than just a hiccup, but he thinks they can handle anything. Between his positivity and her fierce determination, he thinks they could withstand anything.

Opening his eyes, Natsu stares up the ceiling, smiling to himself before glancing down at his phone, the screen lighting up with a text from Lucy letting him know she'll be home soon, girl's day apparently ending a lot sooner than it usually does. There are some days where it's lasted well into the night, but he supposes everyone's been too busy lately.

Right on cue, Natsu hears footsteps outside the door, knowing immediately that Lucy is home. He grins to himself, excitement flooding through him as he hears the key slip into the lock, Lucy jiggling it just right to force it open.

The knob always sticks, much to her frustration. Natsu tried to fix it for her once, but he thinks he may have only made things worse. He's never been much of a fixer, if he's being honest with himself. Natsu's always had more of a destructive streak when it comes to anything but cars. He tries, of course, but he just can't seem to put things together as well as he can take them apart. Despite this, he's always the first person Lucy calls when she needs help putting together her new IKEA furniture, rather than Gray or Erza—both are arguably better choices, but they can _suck it_.

The door is shoved open roughly, but Lucy catches it before it can hit the wall, stopping the ear-splitting bang that was sure to sound through the small apartment. Sound carries through the building, he knows. The walls are relatively thin and Lucy's filed several noise complains against the obnoxious potheads next door who love to sing terrible renditions of 80's classics at three in the morning.

Hopefully they weren't too loud last night. He'd hate for Lucy to get in trouble over something like that, especially when he's partly to blame for any noise. Though, if things get too bad, they can always spend the night at his place. Gray's hardly ever around anyway, so it's not like they'd be disturbing anyone. Well, his grouchy neighbor Jose might be disturbed, but Natsu doesn't give a shit what Jose thinks. The old man has made one too many dirty comments about Lucy's ass. Loud sex seems a hell of a lot better than assault charges or some shit.

Natsu maintains that if Jose gets hit, he fucking deserved it.

Lucy steps through the door, sending him a small smile when she sees him sitting on the couch waiting for her. It doesn't reach her eyes and Natsu immediately knows that something's wrong, nothing major, most likely, but she's upset about something. He knows Lucy well enough to recognize her upset face.

Instead of asking what's wrong he just holds out his arms to her, beckoning her forward for a hug. Not to brag, but Natsu totally gives the best hugs. He prides himself in being able to make Lucy smile when no one else can. Maybe that makes him a bit conceited, but he only wants to make her happy, keep her smiling.

Lucy dumps her bag on the floor and walks up to him, flopping onto his lap without a second thought, her arms coming up to curl around him face buried against his neck. He laughs at her dramatics, looping his arms around her waist and giving her a squeeze. "So," he breathes against her hair, nosing at her ear and tickling her, "how did girls day go?"

She groans and Natsu realizes that something must have happened. A fight, if he had to guess. The girls can be vicious when they want to, and it scares the shit out of him.

Lucy presses her cold nose against the side of his neck, but then pulls away just enough to look at him, letting him know that it's something serious. Her eyes flicker to his nervously, and Natsu squeezes her hip reassuringly. "Well," she starts slowly, swallowing, "I told them about, this." She gestures between the two of them, gaze dropping to his lips for only a moment.

"Oh?" he whispers, trying to keep the panic from seeping into his voice, "and how'd they take that?" Not well, he'd imagine. He loves the girls, he really does, but they're some of the nosiest people he's ever met, and judgmental too, even if they try to pretend they aren't. They always try to insert themselves into things that don't involve them and want everything to go their way.

Well, that's more of an Erza thing, but whatever.

Her nose wrinkles cutely, Lucy pulling a face as she thinks about the conversation she must have had. "They said we're being stupid and someone will end up hurt," she says, turning to prop her chin on his shoulder, mouth hovering just an inch from his when Natsu turns to face her.

Natsu stiffens slightly at the implication, bristling at the idea that someone would accuse him of hurting _Lucy_ , of all people. Hell, she's the one person he would rather die than hurt. "I wouldn't hurt you, Lucy," he promises, scoffing at the thought. He leans in to press a chaste kiss to her temple. "Not ever."

She giggles, arms curling around his neck as she pulls him down into a tight hug. "I know," she breathes against him. "I know you'd never do anything to hurt me," she coos back at him, fingers carting through his messy hair. "Not on purpose," she tacks on, making him stiffen slightly. "It's just that things like this don't always end well." Her voice dips into a whisper at the end, testament to her nerves.

"Hey," he breathes back, tilting her head up, coaxing her to look at him. "I'm always going to be your best friend," he reminds her. And he means it. He would never just let her slip away from him like that. "Nothing is ever going to change that. You already know that, Dummy." Lucy laughs and Natsu dips his chin to press a quick kiss against her smiling mouth.

* * *

 **AN: The next chapter will be done a lot sooner! I'm planning for next week, but it's been a hectic time with a new job and bleh.**

 **Be sure to leave a review folks!**


	3. Table Games

**AN: Forewarning, the last half of this is pure smut, so feel free to skip over that if you want to. You'll now when it's coming lol.**

* * *

 **Benefits**

 **Chapter Three: Table Games**

Bowling, Natsu decides, is the worst possible thing they could have done on their Friday night. Not because it's a bag game, or because he's bad at it, or even because of the fact that Gray invited Loke to come with them— _despite_ knowing how Natsu feels about the other male, the fucking asshole—No, it's nothing like that. Honestly, it's not even anything bad, if he's being completely honest with himself. The problem with bowling is something very specific and very problematic, in his humble opinion.

Lucy's ass.

More over, the fact that every time she goes up to bowl, Natsu gets a fantastic view of her in those little shorts, her hips swinging enticingly as she practically skips up to the lane, fluttering her lashes at him when she catches him staring—and it's not that he's trying to stare, but she's a hard person to look away from, especially when he knows _exactly_ what that ass looks like without those little shorts, knows what her flesh feels like when he palms at her, Lucy moaning in his ear when he squeezes just right, her pussy fluttering around him—And it's not like she seems to mind him watching her, Lucy practically egging him on, swinging her hips just a bit more than necessary. He hasn't been able to tear his eyes away from her for the passed few hours, and he knows he's being less than subtle about it, but at least Gray and Gajeel have the decency to not tease him right in front of Lucy.

Of course, there is one other problem with bowling that's directly correlated with Lucy's ass, namely, the fact that Loke is looking too. Now, if it were any other circumstance, Natsu would have clobbered to pervert over the head by now and told him to fucking knock it off, because Lucy's a damn person and deserves better than being ogled by someone she doesn't even like. Be that as it may, Natsu is also ogling her, so he thinks that may be a bit hypocritical of him. He'd be lying if he said Loke staring at her wasn't bothering him though, with the way his eyes are practically undressing her—practically _touching_ her.

Too bad for Loke, the real thing is definitely better than anything his mind could ever conjure up.

Natsu watches as Lucy rolls a strike, her form perfect from years of playing, and she spins around, grinning, and her eyes immediately lock with his, Lucy sending him a beautiful smile as she skips back over to their booth, slipping in beside him as Gray squeezes out the other side, grumbling under his breath as he heads to the lane. Gajeel leaves as well, dragging a whining Loke behind him as the taller man heads to the front counter to grab their food.

Smiling back at her, Natsu wraps his arm around Lucy's shoulders, squeezing her against his side as he leans in to nuzzle her ear, Lucy giggling as she leans into him, arms looping around his waist. He sighs, content, and glances over her head to look at the scoreboard, chuckling when he sees they're neck-in-neck, tied.

Lucy notices as well, worrying her bottom lip before turning to him, chin propped on his shoulder as she leans in, lips pressing against his ear. "Wanna play a game?" Lucy asks him, one hand slipping down to rest against his thigh as she leans against him, breasts pressed tight against his arm, teasing him. She nips at his ear when no one is looking, and he shivers.

Natsu shivers, anticipation building in his gut. Lucy's fingers creep inward, dancing across sensitive skin, teasing him through his jeans. "Aren't we already?" he asks her, knowing what kind of game she _really_ wants to play. Her lips skim the bar in his ear and he shivers, fisting at her thigh, the tattoos on his knuckles standing out against her bare skin. She gasps and he releases her, remembering they're still in public and fucking on the table would almost definitely get them kicked out, even if the idea of having her bent over and moaning makes his stomach twist pleasantly.

"Not that kind of game," she practically purrs against him, glancing around quickly, taking in the darkness of the room, neon-lights illumination the darkness. Deciding they're safe, Lucy boldly places her palm over his crotch, Natsu already half-hard beneath her.

He inhales sharply, swallowing back a moan as she squeezes gently, working him through his jeans. She bats her lashes at him, smiling coyly, and he growls back at her, Lucy playing a dangerous game with him. His fingers tighten around her thighs, dragging her in closer, and he leans in to nip at her exposed ear, mindful of anyone that could be watching. "I'm listening," he rasps, pressing a heated kiss against the corner of her jaw, Lucy tilting her chin to give him better access.

Lucy makes an appreciative sound low in her throat, gasping when he drags his teeth against her. She strokes him through his jeans in retaliation, making him snarl. He'll have a raging boner if she keeps that up, and he's damn sure that would embarrass her more than it would him. She swallows, seeming to come to the same conclusion, Lucy releasing him with a little pout that he wants to kiss away.

"Whoever ends the game with the most points wins," she tells him, humming when his hand slides from her thigh to her ass, giving her a rough squeeze. Natsu grins, satisfied, wanting to do that for _hours_.

Natsu slips a finger beneath the hem of her shorts, gripping at firm muscle as he feels for the lace of her panties, surprised when he finds nothing. "And what do I get if I win?" he asks, low and rough as he gives her another squeeze, a low, throaty whine pulling from Lucy. He shivers at the sound, wanting to hear it again, but knowing that once they start, they won't be able to stop, not easily at least.

He would always stop for her, if she asked him to.

Her breath quivers against him, and Natsu removes his hand, placing it back on her thigh and drawing little patterns across her skin. "I'll let you do whatever you want to me," Lucy promises, breathless as he presses butterfly kisses down her throat, thankful for the darkness surrounding them. To anyone else, it would simply look like they're whispering to each other.

At her words, Natsu bites down roughly on the side of her neck, Lucy barely suppressing a moan as his canines drag across her flesh. His grip on her thighs grows almost bruising, Natsu's heart rate picking up as he thinks of everything he'd love to do to her, things he knows would make her squirm and beg.

He releases a shaky breath, a shiver of anticipation racing down his spine. "You sure about that?" he growls harshly, his hands groping at her thighs. "Things might get a little rough for you," Natsu warns her. He noses at the corner of her jaw, pressing a gentle kiss against her heated skin.

"You're mistaken if you think I don't like things a bit rough," Lucy murmurs back, Natsu barely swallowing a groan. He can do nothing for the pleasure that shoots straight for his groin, Lucy's words stirring something inside him. She pulls away slightly, reaching to cup his cheeks and sending him a sweet smile, not nearly as heated as before. "Besides," she whispers, thumb dragging across his bottom lip, catching his lip ring slightly, "you wouldn't hurt me."

"No," he agrees, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear, eyes softening as he looks at her, "I wouldn't." Natsu would beat the shit out of anyone that hurt her, including himself. He's done it before, when he was younger and angry all the time. No one ever looked at Lucy the wrong way after that, and that was all he wanted. It didn't matter how people looked at him, so long as they weren't saying anything bad about her.

She smiles at him beautifully, the glow of the lights leaving a faint, silvers glow around her. In that moment, she's more beautiful than he's ever seen her, sweaty from the game and her eyes bright from their teasing and he thinks he falls a little bit more in love with her. "And you know I wouldn't hurt you either, right?" she tells him, expression more serious than he's ever seen it.

"Yeah, I know." Natsu tilts his head to press a soft kiss against her palm, Lucy relaxing against him, her thumbs brushing against his cheekbones. If he would kill for Lucy, she would die for him, always right there beside him, holding him through the worst and smiling with him through the best. He swallows, pushing back dark thoughts. "So what happens if you win?" he asks wetting his lips.

She bites her lip, glancing down at his lips, looking at him like she wants to kiss him. "Well, I guess we'll find out, won't we?" she teases, grasping at his hand and tangling their fingers together.

"Don't get cocky, Lucy," he warns her, wondering if he could get away with shoving a hand down her pants and teasing her just a little bit more. He wouldn't dare tell her out loud, but her confidence is a definite turn-on for him. He doesn't think he would mind her bossing him around a little, even if he really likes watching her squirm beneath him, gasping and pleading for just a little bit more.

Humming in thought, she drags her fingers down the side of his neck, tickling him with her gentle touch. "I suppose that will have to wait until you're inside me, right?" She looks up at him with big honey eyes, head tilted to the side almost innocently. And he would believe that look, too, if he didn't know how dirty she could be when she wanted to.

"That was terrible," he tells her, pretending not to feel his boner getting worse. Hearing Lucy talk like that is going to be his undoing someday, he can feel it. She's going to tease him to death, preferably with his dick buried deep inside her, and that sounds strangely okay with him.

It wouldn't be the worst way to go. The most embarrassing, maybe, but not the worst.

Lucy shrugs, dragging a finger down his chest and letting her palm cover his erection, pursing her lips in thought as she gives him the slightest of squeezes. "Your 'little friend' doesn't seem to think so," she muses. "Better cover that up."

He snarls at her, silently promising that she's going to pay for that later. He'll have to remind her how big his 'little friend' really is. "Now that's a fucking filthy lie and you know it," Natsu growls lowly, practically pulling her into his lap.

"What's a filthy lie?"

A pizza box is dropped onto the booth, and Natsu and Lucy both freeze as they look up, Gray and Gajeel staring down at him in confusion. Gajeel sets two drinks down in front of them, murmuring something about how they might as well just share a drink, and then something about sucking faces, but Natsu ignores him. He blinks at Gray, who slides into the spot across from him, Loke going to bowl his turn.

His mouth grows dry, Natsu knowing he can't exactly tell the truth. He settles with a distraction instead. "Lucy was just telling me that she thinks you look nice tonight," he quips, glancing at Gray's clothes, too fancy for pizza and bowling and Natsu knows he's going to hit up the bar later.

Gray sneers at him. "Fuck you, Natsu." He crosses his arms over his chest, eyes rolling as Natsu pulls Lucy onto his lap, partly because he wants to but also to hide his… problem. "I look fucking amazing," Gray snaps, yanking a slide of pizza out of the box.

Natsu snorts, grinning as he squeezes Lucy's thigh. "Keep telling yourself that, Dickface."

* * *

Natsu wins the game by one point, but only because Lucy fumbled her last roll after he promised her exactly what he was going to do to her later, grinding his half-hard erection against her ass while she was sitting on his lap.

Granted, she doesn't seem _too_ disappointed with her loss, excited even, if he really thought about it, and Natsu plans to make her feel pretty damn good later, so it's not much of a loss for either of them. He would have been perfectly happy with her winning, if not for his competitive streak. He may have cheated a bit, but a win is still a win. Besides, he may very well let her have her way with him later.

Just not tonight.

Natsu keeps his free arm coiled around her as they step into the theater, holding the door for her as she drags him inside. The pair shakes away the sticky, summer air, Lucy sighing in relief as she wraps an arm around his waist, her fingers digging into his shirt, clutching him to her. She grins up at him, eyes bright, ruby lips curled at the edges, and Natsu resists the urge to kiss her senseless.

They follow behind Erza and the others, neither caring which movie they see. If Natsu has his way, they won't be doing much watching anyway. They keep their arms looped around each other, whispering back and forth, little things, mostly, Natsu just liking the sound of her voice. He pays for their tickets, Lucy chastising him until he tells her she can pay for popcorn, if she really wants. He's rewarded with a smile and a sloppy kiss on the cheek that he knows leaves a stain, in Gajeel's laughter is anything to judge by.

Natsu doesn't mind though, he'll take whatever she wants to give him. Natsu supposes that makes him a bit greedy, but he doesn't give a damn. He'll just have to even the score by giving her just as much of him in return.

While Lucy's busy buying the popcorn, Natsu glances down at the movie they're being forced to watch, Erza's orders. The last Friday of every month is when they all get together for whatever the hell they all want to do. Sometimes they're lucky enough to find a carnival in town, or the weather will be nice and they can go to the beach, but usually they just hang around town, which is fine with him. Magnolia is a fine enough place to live, even if it's not nearly as bustling as Crocus or even Hargeon.

They're seeing a horror movie, apparently, which Natsu thinks is stupid, because Erza doesn't even like horror movies and will probably just end up breaking Jellal's hand again—and then Natsu'll have to drive him to the damn hospital because Erza fucking sucks at driving and doesn't have a license, and Gajeel's an ass that'll be laughing too hard, and he's one of the two people that drove tonight, and Jellal can't exactly do shit if his hand is fucked. More than that, Natsu's plans for Lucy are slightly ruined by this development. He doesn't think there's proper etiquette for putting the moves on someone in a theater, but he figures that trying to get some while people are being brutally murdered on screen is frowned upon by most.

Though, if Lucy screams they'll have a good excuse, so that's a plus.

He tosses an arm around her shoulders as Lucy skips back to him, juggling a large bag of popcorn and two drinks. The popcorn nearly slips from her hands, but he catches it before it can. Cradling the bag to his chest with one arm and tugging Lucy close to his side with the other, Natsu follows behind their friends, hanging back a few steps as he turns to press a quick kiss against her temple, reveling in the feel of her pressed against his side. Lucy only giggles, placing a sloppy kiss on his chin before pulling him along behind her.

The theater is already dark when they step inside, previews blaring. There's only a few minutes left before the movie starts, and Natsu notices the room is nearly empty. He attributes that to the fact the movie came out nearly two weeks earlier, most people already seeing it. He also thinks the time might have something to do with it, what with it being nearly midnight. Regardless, most of the room is situated in the center, a few daring teenagers sitting in the front, leaving the back empty, which is exactly what he wants.

Levy immediately heads for the middle, choosing the isle seat, and Natsu feels Lucy cringe against him, edging closer to his chest as if she wants to disappear. His heart aches for her, feeling her pain, and he squeezes her a bit tighter against him. Anger swells in his chest, Natsu shooting a glare at Levy. He doesn't know what her damn problem is, but she's been hurting Lucy for the past two weeks and he's getting sick of it.

Gajeel notices his stare and sends him a nasty look in response, though his gaze softens when he looks at Lucy. The other man's always had a soft spot for the Lucy, treating her a bit more like family than he does most people, and while Natsu knows his cousin would stick with Levy through anything, he can tell Gajeel's been noticing Lucy's abrupt absence from his daily life.

He just shrugs, sending Natsu and Lucy an almost apologetic look before sliding into the seat beside Levy. The others begin filing in after them, spreading throughout two rows, and piling together. Lucy fidgets beside him, looking like she doesn't know where to go. She's always sat between him and Levy when they see movies. Her fingers squeeze around their drinks, hands shaking slightly, and Natsu leans down to nose at her hair.

Erza waits for them, quirking an expectant brow, and he waves her off, jerking his chin towards the back. "You guys go on up front," he tells her, rubbing a comforting thumb against Lucy's hip. "We'll sit in the back. You know Lucy gets bad headaches when she's too close to the screen." He tries for a teasing tone, and it seems to work, Erza giving him a sharp nod before dragging Jellal towards the very front.

Jellal's eyes scream "help!" but Natsu thinks he's shit out of luck.

Cana twists around in her seat, sending Natsu the most shit-eating grin he's ever seen, brows wiggling at him as she glances between him and Lucy. "You gonna take care of her, Natsu?" she asks, the question innocent, save for the wicked look in Cana's eyes. She's always been one for teasing, enjoying making everyone else flustered. She hits the nail right on the head, too.

Instead of denying it and freaking out, digging himself a hole and letting Cana bury him, Natsu holds her gaze, almost lazy as he looks at her, his hand sliding low on Lucy's waist. "Don't I always?" he asks Cana. Beside him Lucy inhales sharply, pressing tighter against his side. For her part, Cana merely raises an impressed brow, barely able to contain her grin as she slowly turns back to the front, clearly dismissing them.

Good. He'd much rather avoid Cana's teasing at all costs. It's not worth his sanity, not after that time when he was sixteen and she sat him down to tell him _everything_ he needed to know about pleasing a woman—or man, if he was into that. And he means everything, right down to the smallest things that most people probably shouldn't know about. He's pretty sure he wanted to die that day, horrified by a very drunk Cana giving him sex advice.

Though, he supposes he does have a few things to thank her for, considering Lucy seems to enjoy most of the tricks he's pulled out in the last few weeks. They've barely been able to keep their hands off each other, and Cana's advice has definitely been something of a god-send. Especially last week, when he managed to get her off without going any lower than her belly. It took damn near hours to work her up that much, but she practically melted for him at the end, and it's something he'll never be able to forget.

Shaking his dirty thoughts away, Natsu gently leads her to the back of the theater, tucking them into a corner where he's sure no one will be able to see them, not unless they really tried.

Natsu makes it halfway through the movie before realizing he really doesn't give a shit about what's happening on screen.

It's hard to pay attention to much of anything, when he has Lucy pressed against his side like that, the armrest between them pushed up so that she can cuddle up against him, legs tossed over his lap and her face buried against his neck. Her fingers trace patterns across his chest, Lucy dozing against his shoulder instead of watching the movie. He doesn't blame her either. It's not the greatest horror film he's ever seen, just bloody and gross and he'd much rather be back at his apartment with Lucy right now.

The border he gets, the more his hands begin to wander.

He did promise to take care of her, after all, and he knows she's just as frustrated right now as he is.

Lucy jolts slightly as his palm comes to rest on her bare thigh, fingers teasing the warm skin of her inner leg as he trails upwards, thumbing at the hem of her shorts. He gives her a gentle squeeze and Lucy wiggles on his lap, glancing up at him briefly, before turning back to the movie. She doesn't shove him off, and Natsu takes it as a good sign, leaning down to press his mouth to her neck, trailing slow, hot kisses down her throat.

She tilts her chin for him, knees spreading just enough for Natsu to worm his hand between her thighs, the heel of his palm pressing against her roughly through her shorts. Lucy sighs through her nose, breathing growing a tad deeper, and Natsu smirks as he works his way down her neck, being careful not to leave any marks behind, not wanting to know how much teasing they'd get for _that_.

Deciding a little payback for before is necessary, Natsu makes quick work of unbuttoning her shorts, yanking down the zipper quietly before delving inside. Lucy gasps as he drags two fingers along her covered core, Lucy already wet from their earlier teasing. His fingers come away sticky and she shivers, twitching slightly. He prods at her clit through her underwear and she gasps, hips jerking against his hand, and he grins against her throat, nipping at her.

"Right here?" she murmurs, allowing Natsu to spread her legs wider so that he can better touch her, Natsu lightly snapping her underwear against her skin, making her squirm against him. He slips a finger below her panties, dipping into her wetness and making her whimper slightly.

Sex in a movie theater seems juvenile and a bit awkward, but he can't deny the thrill of it. Besides, he doesn't plan on doing anything like that here, he just wants to tease her a bit, get here all worked up for later. He doesn't have to. Lucy doesn't need the extra teasing, but he's been wanting to touch her all night, and he doesn't think he can wait another hour for the movie to finish. "You did say anything," he reminds her, stroking her soaked core with a finger, spreading her wetness.

"I meant back at your place," she huffs, but bucks into his touch when rolls her clit between his fingers. A pleased sound leaves her throat, and Natsu has enough time to smirk before she yanks him down, dragging him into a needy kiss. Her arms lock around his neck, fingers curling through his hair.

Natsu sighs against her, pulling back just enough to mumble, "you know I'll stop if you ask me to," against her lips, before Lucy drags him down for another rough kiss, her hips surging up to meet the teasing strokes of his fingers.

* * *

Lucy yelps as he shoves her back against the door, his mouth immediately swallowing her appreciative moan as his hands hook around her thighs. Natsu lifts her clear off the ground, Lucy's long legs wrapping around his hips as he presses her up against his front door with a bang that he hopes his neighbors don't hear. His grip on her thighs is bruising, but Lucy only keens at the rough treatment, arching into his chest as her fingers tangle in his hair, her lips moving against his.

Her legs squeeze around his hips as he settles against her, mouth meeting hers in a fiery kiss. He forces her head back against the door, enjoying the way she squirms against him, fingers pulling at him tighter as she rolls her hips against his. Her thighs quake around him when he grinds against her, a soft, fluttery sigh leaving Lucy. The breathy sound makes him shiver, his fingers sliding high on her legs, teasing the hem of her shorts.

Lucy's fingers ghost down the sides of his neck, teasing touch making Natsu's hips snap against hers. She pulls back to murmur his name against his lips, and Natsu's heart seizes. He decides that he loves hearing his name on her lips, hearing her call out to him, lost to the sensations of him touching her. He's never been much of a romantic, but if she asked him to wax poetic about the way she says his name, he would do it, if only to make her laugh just a little bit harder than usual.

Fingers tease the skin of his collarbone, Lucy sighing happily against him as he leans in for a slower, softer kiss, rocking them together lazily as he traces patterns on her outer thighs, drawing circles and stars across her skin. Her legs squeeze around his hips, arms coming to loop around his neck as she traces the seam of his lips with the tip of her tongue, nipping at the ring in his lip. He's beginning to think she has a bit of an oral fixation, what with the way she loves to play with his piercings, nipping and licking at the metal in his lip and ears. He isn't much better, though his focus remains on her skin, determined to make her feel as good as she makes him.

Lucy sighs again winding her fingers through his hair and pressing him tighter against her. She nibbles at his bottom lip, shivering when his piercing presses against the corner of her mouth. He leans into her, hands squeezing her thighs tightly as he rocks his hips into hers, liking the way she exhales heavily against him. His teeth nip at her bottom lip, tongue teasing her skin, coaxing her to play. She giggles, carding her fingers through his hair.

Shivering against him as his palms slide higher up her thighs, fingertips slipping beneath her shorts to tease her skin, Lucy bites at him, trapping his lower lip between both of her teeth and nibbling. Natsu growls at her, shuddering as she sucks his lower lip into her mouth, tongue grazing it lightly before tracing over his lip ring. His hands slip beneath her, fisting at her ass and giving her a rough squeeze. Lucy moans against him, shuddering, and pulls away from his lips, teeth grazing the steel loop in his lip, the cool metal making her sigh. Groaning against her mouth, Natsu tears his lip from her grasp.

He presses his forehead against hers as he pants, eyes blinking open to lock with hers. She trembles under his heated look, teeth worrying her bottom lip. Something warm spreads through his chest when he sees her smiling up at him, her fingers cool against his cheeks, thumbs stroking at his skin, trusting him to hold her up, knowing he would never drop her, not if he couldn't catch her.

Lucy's hands slip down to his hips, fisting in the material of his shirt, and she gives an insistent tug. Her legs squeeze around him as she drags the fabric up his chest, his shirt catching beneath his arms. Natsu chuckles at her pout, Lucy looking at his shirt like he wants to rip it. He releases her slowly, making sure she can hold herself up, not wanting her to fall. Again, she squeezes around him, a silent promise that she'll be fine. He peels his hands away from her, Lucy balancing precariously. Natsu's hands drop to cover hers, their fingers linking together as they yank his shirt over his head.

The black fabric hits the floor, forgotten, and Natsu gently loops her arms around his neck. One hangs loosely down his back, Lucy's fingers perusing the newly bared skin with a sigh. His own hands drag down her sides, slipping beneath her shirt to glide his fingers across her belly, her skin soft and smooth beneath his touch. She giggles against him, peppering kisses along his jaw and chin, and he sighs, liking the feel of her lips on his skin.

She pulls back slowly, blinking up at him, and he grins before dipping his chin to drag her into another harsh kiss. His tongue slides across the seam of her lips slowly, tasting her lip-gloss. She tastes like pomegranates and the color red, and when he tugs her lower lip between his teeth she moans his name. Lucy squirms, tugging at his hair harshly, encouraging him to be rougher with her, like she asked for earlier. Lucy smiles against him, her lips parting slightly, and he takes the opportunity.

Her entire body quivers with a sigh when his tongue sweeps through her mouth, touching everywhere. He groans at the taste of her, her mouth hot and wet against his. Lucy gives his tongue a sharp suck, grazing him with her teeth and he pulls out of her mouth. Natsu snarls down at her, jerking her forward as he bucks against her, grinding his hard cock against her covered core. She gasps against him, moaning as her hips rock back against his, Lucy rutting against him and panting.

Natsu shoves her back against the door, hips rolling against hers harshly. His teeth nip at her lips, coaxing lewd sounds from Lucy which he muffles with his lips. She whines against him, squirming, and he groans as her legs squeeze around him, trembling beneath his fingers. Her fingers rake through his hair, tugging at the bright strands ruthlessly in retaliation, fingers twisting and pulling as he presses harder against her, hips shifting against hers. Her nails dig into his scalp and he moans in the back of his throat, the sound muffled by their connected lips. His fingers dig into her leg, squeezing roughly.

Her hands slip down to cup his face, fingers stroking his cheeks softly. Her hips circle against his, surprising him into a groan at her languid pace, and then she bucks against him roughly. The movement startles him, ripping a growl from his chest that makes her shiver. His teeth sink into her lower lip hard enough to make her whine, and he pulls back slowly, reluctantly, soothing her skin with a slow lick. She catches his upper lip between her teeth briefly as he's pulling away. His forehead presses against hers, both of them breathing heavily, but it doesn't stop her from leaning up to steal another kiss, her fingers tangling in his hair.

Natsu nuzzles her cheek as her hands slide down his chest, tracing the muscles of his abdomen, well-defined after hours of training. His lips meet her skin once more, hot wet kisses trailing over her jaw and down her neck without warning. She gasps, squirming against him as he roughly bites and sucks at her pulse point, lips lazily trailing down the column of her throat, nosing at her soft skin. "Oh," she gasps as teases her throat, panting as he peruses her neck, tilting her head up to give him better access. "Natsu," she murmurs, eyes slipping shut as he finds a particularly sensitive spot below her jaw.

His mouth peppers kisses up from her neck to her jaw and then to her ear, nibbling at the lobe and making her wriggle against his lower half, his arousal pulsing as she rocks against him. Lucy gasps as he trails back down, head tilting to the side as he starts planting hot, open-mouthed kisses along her throat. Natsu bites her roughly and she yelps, surprised, but he quickly soothes the spot with a slow lick, a hard suck following.

One hand slips down, groping at her ass over her shorts and grinding her hips against his. A hiss leaves him at the rough contact of her core gyrating against him in a slow grind. Natsu moans her name, head falling forward to rest against her bare shoulder, still peppering kisses against her skin.

Her fingers ghost over his hips before grasping his arousal through his clothes, palming him roughly. Natsu moans against her bare skin, teeth pressing into her shoulder to muffle the sound. One of his hands slams against the wood beside her head, his hand clenched into a tight, desperate fist that jostles them both, the door quivering beneath his touch. His mouth leaves her, his breaths ragged as he presses into her hand, forehead dragging against her shoulder roughly.

Natsu bats her fingers away, having other things planned for her, and yanks her shirt over her head roughly, Lucy gasping as she's nearly caught in the fabric, back arching into him to help. He tosses it to the floor somewhere behind him, uncaring of where it ends up. He forces her arms back around him, smothering her gasp as he shoves off the wall. Unsteady beneath their combined weight, Natsu wraps his arms around her tightly, sighing at the feel of her bare skin pressed against his.

He turns them slowly, stumbling towards the nearest piece of furniture, suddenly glad he knows his apartment so well, despite hardly ever being home.

Lucy moans when he drops her onto a cool, glossy surface, her thighs twitching around him. "The table?" she asks him, incredulous and breathless as he drags his mouth down the side of her throat, sharp teeth pricking at her skin. His fingers patter against her sides to his own rhythm, one that makes Lucy squirm.

His fingers leave her to press against the surface he's dropped her on, feeling smooth glass beneath his fingers, making him realize that he has indeed dropped her on Gray's very nice, very _clean_ table. "There a problem with that?" he grunts, grinding against her thigh. The thought of the two of them making it filthy is enough to have the rest of his blood running south, Natsu practically salivating at the thought of bending her over and fucking her from behind. He thinks she'd like that, the little spitfire that she is.

"Your room is only a few feet away," she reminds him, giggling as his thumb rubs against a spot just below her bra, tickling her ribs. He'll have to remember that for later. He snorts, thinking that she's definitely one to talk, considering she didn't seem to mind when she was jumping him on her couch.

He hums against her skin, nipping at her throat before yanking her to the edge of the table, thrusting against her roughly. "I don't think you'll be complaining when I'm fucking you in a couple minutes," he growls lowly, feeling her shiver against him, legs tightening in anticipation.

She trembles as he ducks down further, nosing at the swell of her breasts, barely kept in place by the black, lacy number she's wearing. He likes it on her, but can't help thinking she'd look better in red. "What about Gray?" she murmurs, reminding him that he's the one with the roommate, and she really doesn't want an audience.

Natsu shakes his head, pressing a gentle kiss against her pulse. "He never comes back here with his 'dates,' " he promises, nosing at her skin.

He pulls away from her neck, sending her a dark and filthy look before he drops to a crouch, eyes never once leaving hers as he dips to eyelevel with her covered core. Natsu's hands slip down her torso languidly, thumbs hooking around the waistband of her shorts. Lucy seems to understand, her fingers fumbling with the button clumsily, her eyes bright with anticipation. He hears the clatter of the button coming undone, her pants loosening around her hips, and he yanks it down her legs without warning, Lucy helping him along, desperate to feel him against her slit.

She gasps at the cool air tickling her drenched opening, panties already slick from the hours they've spent teasing each other. Her shorts slip down her legs, Lucy flicking them off with one foot. She quivers as his hands curl around her knees, easily pulling them apart and baring her center to his eyes. Natsu licks his lips, greedy eyes drinking in the wet, black lace clinging to her skin, Lucy sopping wet and ready for him.

Natsu thinks he likes this more than anything else, making her wet and wanting for him, knowing he makes her react like this.

His grip tightens appreciatively on her thighs, fingers trailing inward as Lucy moans, as responsive as always. His thumb gently brushes against the lace between her legs, Natsu swearing when the digit comes away slick with her juices. Natsu presses down on her covered clit teasingly, making her buck into his hand.

"Really?" she asks him, half teasing as she looks down at him between her legs, Natsu's eyes dark and focused on her wet heat. "You'd rather fuck me with your tongue than get a blowjob?" He shivers at her words, noticing something like smug confusion on her face, and Natsu growls, determined to wipe the grin right off her face.

Snarling at her, Natsu's fingers wrap around her thigh harshly, yanking her forward until she's balancing precariously on the edge of the table. She squeals and he drapes her left thigh over his shoulder, turning to press a needy kiss against the newly bared skin. His other hand stays on her knee, keeping her legs spread for him.

"Lucy," he growls against her lacy panties, fingers teasing her sensitive thighs, "if you think a blowjob is better than that expression on your face when I make you cum, than you obviously haven't seen it before." He could get high off of the faces she makes, the _sounds_ she makes. Natsu's positive that there's nothing more gratifying than her face twisted in absolute _ecstasy_. "I'll have to fix that later," he murmurs, dragging the flat of his tongue against her damp underwear.

She keens, fisting at his hair as she curls over his head, doubling over and panting as his mouth latches onto her covered slit. Natsu laps at her, the tip of his tongue teasing her clit through her panties. "Is that a promise?" she moans, shivering against him and pulling roughly at his hair. She tries to rock against his mouth, but he growls, pinning her hip to the table.

Natsu keeps his eyes on Lucy as he teases her, watching her quiver, her head thrown back in delight, honey eyes squeezed shut as she pants. His cock twitches against his jeans when she mewls, Natsu wanting to turn her around and bend her over, but more than that wanting to taste her.

He grazes his teeth against her, Lucy's clit throbbing as the drenched lace of her underwear rubs against her perfectly. Her toes curl, Lucy panting his name, a breathy moan leaving her throat. Her fingers twitch against his sweaty neck, a coil already winding high in her aching center.

Her leg is hoisted higher over his shoulder, her bare toes teasing his lower back. "It's whatever the hell you want it to be," he growls back at her, thumb curling around the crotch of her panties and yanking them aside.

Yelping, Lucy's thighs squeeze tighter around him, but Natsu doesn't hesitate as leans in, thumb gliding through her dripping slit, spreading the sticky fluids staining her pussy and thighs. She whimpers, pulling at his hair, but he ignores her, wanting to make her feel good. Natsu nearly groans when the smell of her core assaults his senses, the heady smell of sex curling around them. "Fuck, Lucy," he grunts, swallowing thickly and drying not to drool. "You smell so fucking good."

She shivers, a desperate moan falling from her pretty, red lips as his thumb flicks her clit roughly, sending a shock through her entire body. He knows what she likes, and while he wouldn't mind taking things slower she did say she wanted things rough tonight.

He doesn't waste time teasing her, not tonight. They can save that for later. His thumb rolls over her aching clit as he drags a long, slow lick across her sticky thigh, her legs trembling around him. "Natsu," she whines, arching into him, red-painted toes curling against his back. She sounds needy, breathy, and Natsu fights to ignore his own arousal, not wanting to cum in his pants.

Humming to himself, he drags a long, rough lick along her slit, tongue flat as he tastes her, eyes rolling back. She moans and his lips seal around her clit, giving her a harsh suck that makes her sob his name. His fingers bite into her hip as she grinds against his mouth, Natsu yanking her closer as his teeth tease her skin.

" _Fuck_ , Natsu," she moans, hips bucking against his mouth as his tongue slips inside of her, hot and wet as he caresses her everywhere, practically drinking from her wetness. He returns to her clit quickly, growling against her as he traces tight circles around her pulsing button, making her whine and quiver before flicking at the hardening nub. "Please," she murmurs, pulling at his hair as he pulls her clit between his teeth and _sucks_. "Natsu," she chokes out, practically sobbing his name as he guides her to her climax, wanting her to cum at least once before he fucks her.

Groaning against her slick heat, Natsu spreads her legs enough to slip a hand between her thighs, giving no warning as two fingers slipping inside of her, long and thick and unyielding. Lucy doubles over, moaning, pulling at his hair with shaky fingers. Lucy curls around his head as he thrusts his fingers inside of her, suckling her clit and practically feeding off her whines and muffled moans, so loud he's sure the neighbors can hear them.

A needy sound is cooed against his ear, Lucy moaning his name as he curls his digits inside her, fingertips scrapping roughly against her walls, beckoning her to come for him.

She throws her head back with a half-scream, grinding into his hand and riding his fingers as he slips a third digit deep inside her, stretching her as he continues to pump into her, fingers twisting and pulling as he drives her towards the edge. Her eyes roll back as sucks her clit, Natsu's sharp gaze catching every twitch of her expression. "God— _yes_ —Natsu, please, just—" she cuts off, as his fingers twist sharply inside her, a moan cutting off her words.

His wrist snaps against her harshly, fingers dragging against her inner walls, pumps becoming faster, rougher, and Lucy's needy sounds grow louder. She whines, barely able to breathe as his fingers fuck her faster, moaning as his prodding digits twist inside of her roughly, dragging out slowly before plunging back in hard enough to jostle her against the table, Lucy's sweat-slicked thighs clinging to the glass.

Natsu sucks on her clit, fingers curling inside her, and she comes apart in his hand, walls sucking him in deeper as she milks his thrusting fingers, a throaty moan of his name slipping from her open mouth. She sobs as he continues thrusting, not giving her a moment to rest as he draws out her orgasm, Lucy twitching almost violently as he pulls at all the right strings inside her.

Not for the first time, he's thankful that she isn't a one-and-done kind of girl, wanting her to cum on his hand one more time before he fucks her.

His eyes lock on her face, Natsu watching her expression contort with bliss as he continues to thrust into her brutally, fingers twisting inside her as he rubs his digits against her inner walls, making her keen. He doesn't give her a moment to relax as he continues his assault on her clit, lapping at her and pinching at her bud with his sharp teeth.

He jerks back suddenly, panting as he pumps his fingers into her, watching as Lucy rides his hand, allowing her hips to swivel and meet his hard thrusts. She pants, grinding into him when he curls his fingers just right. A sound the mix between a moan and a sob spills from her throat, Lucy whispering his name, voice thick with calls of his name and praises as she threads her fingers through his hair.

He swallows thickly, throat bobbing with the motion as he watches sticky fluids drip down her lower lips and coat his fingers and her thighs, her wetness dripping on the table and forming a puddle that makes his mind go numb.

Natsu growls, wanting to see her cum again. He snaps his fingers into her roughly and rips a sob from her chest, Lucy's hips lurching off the table as she falls backwards, barely able to catch herself on her elbows. Her eyes fly open as he nicks a spot inside her, fingers rubbing harshly. "P-please," she breathes, panting. "Oh, god, Natsu, _please_." She whimpers when his fingers twist inside her, prodding at that special spot and making her legs tremble embarrassingly.

" _Fucking shit_ , Lucy" he snarls tongue flicking out to taste the salt building on her skin, forceful as he licks her. Lucy whimpers as he returns to lapping at her clit, fingers twisting inside of her in the most wonderful way. He beckons her closer to the edge, fingers curling as he drags them along her walls, prodding at a spot along the top that makes her let out a little sob of his name. Her legs tremble as her hips swivel to meet his strong, relentless hand, shamelessly riding his fingers as he thrusts into her roughly, strokes of his fingers brutal and driving her insane. His cock only grows harder the more responsive she gets, Natsu quivering as she fucks his hand.

He groans against her and the vibration makes her sob. Natsu rolls her clit with his tongue before taking it between his teeth, pinching it slightly. His fingers thrust against a sensitive spot inside her and she moans his name, Natsu humming in acknowledgment, as he continues to strike that spot, pulling a throaty moan from Lucy.

Natsu begins to drag his fingers out less, driving them back in faster, harder, reaching deeper inside her, caressing something fantastic that makes her melt against the tabletop.

"Cum for me, Lucy," he demands, growling against her clit. "Just one more time." She jolts at the low, throaty tone of his voice, whimpering as she bites her lip, eyes screwing shut. Her clit throbs and Natsu takes it in his lips, lavishing it with his tongue and sucking roughly, pinching it between his teeth until she's trembling, twisting and sobbing his name.

Natsu drags the calloused tips of his fingers roughly along her walls at the same time he wraps his lips around her clit and gives a hard suck, drawing a sound between a scream and a moan from Lucy. She trembles, jerking off the table to fist at his hair, and cums on his hand with a whimper of his name, falling apart as her eyes roll back.

His thrusts don't stop until she's a quivering mess against the table, boneless as she lies back, unable to hold herself up any longer. Her walls flutter around his hand, sucking at his fingers and dragging him in deeper with each harsh thrust. She twitches, back arching, and he finally slows his thrusts when she begins to whimper, allowing her to relax. Lucy moans softly as he slips his fingers out of her messy core, and Natsu gently drags his fingertips along her thighs, knowing how sensitive she still is.

Lucy shivers as his wet fingers trail over her thigh, her juices left to spill from her, coating her legs and dripping onto the table beneath her, left to puddle on the glass and leave messy streaks. Natsu meets her eyes, gaze heated as he lifts his glistening fingers to his mouth and dips them inside, sucking them off and making her inhale sharply.

Natsu gives her a moment to relax, rising to his feet unsteadily before leaning over her, forearms pressed against the table as he presses sweet kisses against her smooth stomach. Lucy sighs, panting beneath him, and raises her shaky arms to loop them around his neck, fingers gently weaving through his hair. A satisfied sound spills from her lips, Lucy giving him a gentle tug, dragging him up to meet her in a lazy kiss.

Gently, he drags her to the edge of the table, keeping his hands on her hips as he places her back on the ground. Lucy wobbles, legs shaky beneath her, but Natsu doesn't think that'll be a problem for much longer.

Excited, he jerks her around without warning, pressing her back flush against him and pinning her between him and the glossy table. She gasps, surprised, and Natsu curls one arm around her hips, the other coming up to tangle in her messy hair, tilting her head to the side. Natsu presses a heated kiss just below her ear, working a hickey onto her skin as Lucy sighs, leaning back against him. Her head drops back against his shoulder, fingers lacing through his around her hips, and she hums as he takes her lobe between his teeth and nips at her.

Both of his hands slide down to grab her hips, Natsu thrusting against her roughly, grinding her ass back against him. His hot breath fans against her ear. "Bend over," he growls, nosing at her throat and making her squirm.

She hesitates, glancing at him over her shoulder. Lucy stares back at him nervously, lip caught between her teeth, wary, and he leans in to nuzzle her cheek, pressing butterfly kisses across her cheek and jaw. Slowly, she relaxes against him, fingers squeezing around his, grip twice as strong as his. He'll stop the moment she wants him to, and he hopes she knows that, Natsu not wanting to push her into something like this.

Gently, she allows him to lower her into a deep bend, her chest flush against the cool table. He rocks against her slowly, wanting to gain her trust in the new, delicate position.

Natsu hesitates, waiting, giving her a chance to tell him to stop, but that moment never comes. Growing tired of his lazy touches, Lucy grinds her ass back against his erection, murmuring something that sounds like " _fucking hurry up!_ " before he suddenly thrusts against her, grip tightening on her hips as he stands behind her. Natsu leans down, brushing her hair to the side as he kisses just below her ear.

She trembles below him, the heat of him pressed along her spine as Natsu looms over her, growling against her ear as he trails wet kisses along her neck. Lucy arches against him, murmuring his name softly. He pulls away from her just a breath, nosing her neck, as his hand leaves her to yank at his belt, nails ripping at the leather to set his cock free.

Lucy gasps below him as she hears the clatter of metal, Natsu's belt dropping to the floor with a sharp clang, the sound loud in the otherwise silent room. She starts to turn, but he doesn't let her, not wanting her to know when it's coming, wanting to surprise her. She trembles, impatient, and he doesn't make her wait long as his hips press into her ass. Natsu thrusts against her sharply, cock pressing along her sensitive slit and making her shiver.

He slides along her wetness, coating his cock in her juices as he nuzzles her ear, moaning her name quietly. Lucy's fingers twitch against the table, her whole body trembling with anticipation. Natsu thrusts along her slick opening, panting in her ear as he nips at her throat. "Holy shit, Lucy," he snarls, nosing at her sticky skin as he rolls his hips against her ass. "Don't plan on walking tomorrow," Natsu growls against her ear, grinding against her.

She nods jerkily, shivering at his words as she lurches back against him.

One hand slips around her hips to roll against her swollen clit, Lucy sobbing and twitching beneath him, hips jerking back against his. She whimpers his name and rocks back against his hard cock, silently begging him to just fuck her already. He grins against her, dragging his tongue down the column of her throat. "I'm going to make you remember my cock every time you take a step," he growls, moaning when she jerks against him.

His grip tightens on her hip, his thrusts shallow against her dripping opening, the flared head of his cock prodding at her entrance teasingly. "Fuck, Lucy," Natsu groans against her ear, nipping at the lobe, "you're so fucking wet." She shivers, quivering as he continues to talk to her. Natsu inhales sharply, muscles tensing as he swallows. His tip kisses her clit, making her hiss as he rubs along her once more, pressing her further into the table. "What do you want, Lucy?" he asks her, voice low and rough as he slides along her opening, wanting to be inside her, but needing her to trust him in this position. He rocks against her ass sharply, groaning when she whimpers, trembling.

"Natsu," she moans as he pants against her ear. She almost cums just from the feel of him sliding along her slick skin, she's so sensitive. Natsu's fingers bite into her hip roughly as she squirms against him. "Natsu, please," she begs, "I want you inside me."

That's what he wants to hear.

Lucy has no warning before his cock shoves inside her brutally fast, sliding in easily she's so wet. She moans loudly, nearly screaming as she claws at the table as his thick length fills her completely, Natsu long and hard inside of her, pressing tight against her sweet spot inside. He groans as her wet walls suck at his cock, dragging him in deeper. Unable to stay still for long, he snaps his hips against hers, moving inside of her roughly.

Her hips rock back to meet his harsh thrusts and he growls. Natsu presses flush against her back, hips thrusting against hers harshly in response, grinding into her roughly, his tip prodding at a sweet spot inside her. Natsu presses wet kisses along her neck and shoulders as his cock drags along her walls. His hips snap forward roughly, filling her so suddenly that she moans. A cord pulls tight in his gut, Natsu knowing he's not bound to last long, not after getting her off twice already, but he wants to tip her over the edge at least once more before letting himself go.

His hands curl around her hips as he forces her back to meet his powerful thrusts, Lucy moaning unabashedly as he pounds into her. A choked gasp tears from Lucy's throat as he shoves into her, leaving her whimpering at the feeling of him stretching her from behind. Natsu drags his teeth across her neck, liking the little gasps she makes as he nips at her pulse, and she jerks back to meet his thrusts, shrieking slightly at a particularly rough thrust.

At the sound of her loud cry, Natsu picks up the pace, stealing the breath from her lungs with a rough snap of his hips, movements sharp and fast, Natsu grinding against her harshly. She gasps at the unexpected power of his hips rutting against hers. Lucy arches into him, sweaty palms slipping against the table, but he holds her up, keeping her in place as his hips snap against hers. Natsu pounds into her relentlessly, hips thrusting against hers roughly as Lucy's hips jerk back to meet him, matching his thrusts with her own as she circles against him slowly.

Walls sucking at his retreating length, Lucy moans as the head of his cock rubs against a sensitive spot along the top of her walls, pushing her closer to the edge. Natsu smirks against her skin, knowing she's close already, right where he wants her. She sobs as she shoves herself back onto his cock, arching her back to let him reach deeper inside her.

Natsu thrusts into her to his own rhythm—fast and brutal as he makes her writhe and sob beneath him, liking the way she calls his name, high off her pleasure. She's so far gone at this point, and he knows it'll only take a few more precise rolls of his hips to make her come undone beneath him. He thumbs her clit and she pants his name, begging him to fuck her harder. He complies, giving her what she wants.

"Lucy," Natsu moans in her ear, the coil in his gut winding tight, his cock twitching inside her as he fills her to the brim. He snarls her name, voice low and guttural and she squeezes around him, shaking, her hips rolling against his in harsh snaps. He swallows down a moan, eyes rolling back as she clamps down on him tightly, not wanting to cum before her. He thrusts into her harder, faster, pulling out less than he did before, and she whimpers, gasping, fingers twitching against the tabletop. " _Fuck_ , Lucy," he rasps against her ear, leaning in to nip at her soft skin, the muscles of his torso pressed tight against the length of her spine, Natsu unrelenting in his powerful thrusts as he snarls against her skin.

She whines and Natsu smirks against her clammy neck, dragging his flat tongue against her nape, suckling at her skin roughly, sure to leave a bruise later. A hard snap of his hips has her keening, a sob spilling from her lips as she trembles. Natsu doesn't know how much more either of them can handle, Lucy already wound tight from him playing with her earlier and Natsu doing a number on himself for the same reason. He gropes at her waist suddenly, shoving her back onto him, their hips meeting with a wet smack. Her walls suck at him hungrily and he moans against her throat, pressing hot open-mouthed kisses against her sweaty skin, tongue flicking out to taste her.

"Holy shit, Natsu," Lucy pants, fingers curling around the edge of the table until her knuckles turn white with the pressure. "You're so fucking big." The praise slips from her lips with a throaty moan and Natsu's ego swells, cock pulsing inside her. She quivers beneath him, his hands and the table the only thing keeping her standing. "Please," she pants, Natsu knowing what she wants.

He grunts, plowing into her, Lucy nearly losing her grip on the glass at his harsh thrust. Tears build in the corners of her eyes, Lucy sobbing as she twitches, his touch becoming too much, Lucy wound tight with pleasure just waiting to spill over. She rocks back against him and Natsu leans up, staring at their joined hips. "Shit, Lucy, you take all of me like a good girl," he praises, jerking her head around to kiss her roughly, Lucy moaning into his mouth with each thrust.

Natsu pulls back slightly, pressing wet kisses against her neck. He snarls against her skin before dragging his tongue down the column of her throat, tasting her sweat-slicked skin, shivering as the whine of his name. He grunts against her, a low, strangled sound shoving passed his lips before he begins jack-hammering into her center, not giving her a moment to breathe as he pounds into her.

Two fingers rub furiously at her clit, Natsu determined to get her off once more. She sobs his name, moaning, hips jerking against his. His breathing becomes erratic, Natsu panting against the back of her neck. Natsu pounds into her core so unbelievably fast that the breath is knocked from her lungs, Lucy struggling to breathe for several seconds. His thumb joins his fingers at her core and he pinches her clit roughly, rolling it between his fingers.

Her orgasm tears through her, fast and rough, and she chokes on his name, a silent scream leaving her. She tenses at the rough pinch, body writhing beneath him as her walls milk his cock, still pounding into her from behind, sucking him in deeper as she moans.

Natsu doesn't stop thrusting into her, his fingers still moving roughly against her clit, twisting and pinching, rubbing in fast circles to make her see stars. It only prolongs her release, stretching her climax for what feels like hours, until she's a sobbing, writhing mess beneath him. White, hot light blinds her vision, her legs quivering beneath her as her pussy shudders around him, sucking him in deeper as his thrusts becoming frenzied.

Lucy pants his name, slumping against the table, boneless, as his hips snap forward against hers, his cock twitching inside of her as he pushes into her roughly, jarring her three more times before the cord in his belly snaps, Natsu shouting her name as he spills himself deep inside of her, her pussy milking him.

His cum fills her to the brim, hot enough to make her toes curl as he thrusts into her slowly several times, Lucy trembling through the aftershock. He strokes her hair gently, peppering kisses along her jaw as she pants, their mixed fluids spilling from her slit, dripping down and splattering against her thighs.

Natsu noses at her, softening cock slipping from inside her as he gently pulls back. Lucy whines at the feeling of him sliding inside her sensitive core, and he hushes her gently, pressing a gentle kiss against her shoulder before leaning back. Slowly, he guides Lucy to stand, her arms and legs wobbling beneath her as he coaxes her to turn around.

Lucy meets his gaze, her eyes tired, but she smiles for him, still panting to catch her breath. He brushes a sweaty lock of hair away from her eyes, fingertips trailing down her sides slowly. She whimpers, shuddering, and his eyes widen at how sensitive she is. Gently, he pulls her against his chest, hands curling around her thighs as he lifts her off the ground. Natsu stumbles slightly, his own legs shaky beneath him, but Lucy only curls around him completely, legs wrapping around his waist as she drapes her arms around his neck lazily, sighing against him as she presses kisses along her jaw.

Her wet panties slide across his stomach, Natsu tucking himself back inside his unbuttoned pants slowly. "You okay?" he asks Lucy, one hand coming up to tangle in her hair, the other smoothing up and down her back gently as he noses her exposed ear. She doesn't say anything for a long moment, making an icy hand curl around his heart and squeeze, Natsu afraid he may have hurt her.

In hindsight, he knows he should have asked her about this earlier—shouldn't have just bent her over like that without having a proper discussion about it first and—

As if hearing his thoughts, Lucy leans back, meeting his eyes with a tired but happy smile. "I'm okay, Natsu," she promises, leaning in to press a sweet, lazy kiss against his mouth before tucking herself against his shoulder.

He holds her closer, pressing his lips against her temple as he glances at the clock on the wall, noticing it's nearly four in the morning already. He wrinkles his nose, suddenly exhausted, and wraps his arms around Lucy just a bit tighter as he walks to his bedroom, kicking the door shut behind him dropping onto his bed, careful not to crush a giggling Lucy beneath him as he rolls and settles her on top of him.

She murmurs a sleepy goodnight against his mouth, pressing a sloppy kiss against his lips, and he peppers her face with kisses as she pulls back, fighting with the covers as he struggles to lift them while also taking off his jeans. He nearly falls off the bed for his efforts, making Lucy laugh even harder than before.

* * *

 **AN: So, this might be pretty similar to the other smut I did recently, both because I stupidly did _two_ table sex scenes recently, and also because I think I fucked up the files for these two. I always keep the smut in a separate doc while writing (because reasons, you know?), and my computers been weird lately, so I just kind of rolled with it and hoped for the best. Besides, it's smut, at the end of the day the words all blur together. It's hard to write, and there's only so many different ways you can talk about two people going at it. Sue me.**

 **PS: Reminder that every review gets a preview of the next chapter! I (try to) update every other Thursday!**


	4. Meteor Shower

**AN: The first chunk is basically all smut, so if you want to avoid the benefits part of the friends with benefits au, you might wanna skip that... And the ending.**

* * *

 **Benefits**

 **Chapter Four: Meteor Shower**

Natsu blinks down at Lucy, only half-awake as his eyes roam her naked back, their blankets pooled low around their hips. His fingers tease her bare skin, tracing a pattern of stars across her shoulders as he brushes her hair aside, trying to recall the galaxies she's shown him, wanting to map them across her smooth skin. She stirs at his teasing touch, but doesn't wake, only curls closer to his side, burying her face tighter against his chest, nosing at him sleepily.

Her breath puffs across his bare chest, Lucy a dead-weight against his side, and he figures she'll be asleep for at least another hour if he doesn't wake her. Lucy would never admit it, but she enjoys sleeping in more than he does, lazing around in bed until she absolutely has to get up. Not that he blames her. He would sleep in as late as he could if he worked a schedule like hers. He thinks she works four to midnight on days like this, though he can't be sure. Her schedule is constantly changing and he wishes he could spend more time with her, just lying around like this, but it's hard.

He has training in the mornings, from some ungodly time until whenever Laxus decides to let him leave. And usually Laxus is in a bad mood, so Natsu is rarely done before noon, and Lucy is almost always leaving for work by then. He very rarely gets to spend time with her anymore, unless he manages to get Laxus off his back. The man was kind enough to give him the last two days off, albeit reluctantly when Natsu wouldn't tell him why.

Besides, it's a Saturday. Natsu thinks he deserves a break every so often.

Natsu stares down at Lucy fondly as he drags his fingertips along her spine, causing Lucy to squirm against him, her nose wrinkling cutely. He grins down at her, chuckling when she shifts, legs tangling with his beneath the sheets. Her cold toes slide against his calf, Lucy murmuring something unintelligible as her right arm curls across his chest, hanging over him loosely.

He grimaces at the bra strap hanging off her shoulder, knowing she's going to regret sleeping in it when she wakes up. Natsu kind of regrets not taking it off her last night, but he was in a hurry and wasn't thinking about it, both of them too worked up to care much about what he was and wasn't taking off.

Groaning, Natsu rubs his free hand down the side of his face, trying to not think about how he had Lucy bent over a table last night, how she was begging for him and moaning his name like it was the only thing she could remember. It was rougher than he meant it to be, but Lucy didn't seem to have any complaints. He remembers with some satisfaction how she could barely stand after they were done, and if he's being honest, Natsu was practically dead on his feet as well, exhausted from the days events and wanting nothing more then to curl up with her on his bed.

Honestly, he thinks he might like curling up with her more than anything else. He likes how clingy she is and how well they fall together, Lucy curling against his side like she belongs there. He likes the feel of her soft skin pressed up against him, Lucy all slopping curves and too smooth skin, and he can never get enough of touching her, wanting to put his hands everywhere.

There's something soothing about waking up with her cuddled against his side, and he thinks he could get used to it.

Natsu shakes the idea aside, knowing this is only temporary. They're only relieving their own tension and having some fun. It's nothing more than that—will never _be_ more than that. Despite what everyone says, there's no future for them, no matter how well they come together.

And they come together _fantastically_ —and he means that in an entirely figurative way. He's always clicked well with Lucy in everything they do. They were fast friends when they were younger, and no matter what they put their minds to, if it's them working together Natsu has no doubt in his mind that they can do it. Sex is just another one of those things.

His thoughts drift back to last night and he shifts awkwardly, a heat flooding through his stomach as he pictures Lucy writhing beneath him. Arousal floods his veins, his cock twitching slightly, and he bites his lip, trying to subtly move his hips away from the leg Lucy has tossed over him, trying not to disturb her.

It doesn't work. His shifting wakes her slightly, and Lucy mumbles his name as she rolls on top of him, her leg slipping between his and her thigh grinding against his gently. He bites his lip, trying to will his arousal to _fuck off_. They're both exhausted and hungry and he can't even begin to imagine how sore she is, but Natsu's pretty sure his legs might fall off if he even _thinks_ about having sex right now.

He tries to banish any and all thoughts of Lucy from his mind, trying to replace them with images of Lucy from his mind—thinking about wrinkling grandmas and Gray walking around without his pants on—but that idea is shot straight to hell when Lucy releases a breathy sound, her hips rolling against the thigh he has shoved between her legs, smearing her dampened panties across his bare skin.

Natsu bites back a groan, dropping his head back against his pillow as he tries to ignore Lucy practically grinding against him, her leg brushing against his dick every few seconds, slow and teasing. Biting his lip, Natsu rests his arm across his eyes, trying to think of anything but Lucy as he conjures the most boner-killing images he can think of.

Gajeel's scary face. Erza when she's mad. That time Makarov stripped during his birthday party. Loke wearing a Speedo. Ichiya and the Trimens. That time he accidentally kissed—

Lucy chooses that moment to roll her hips against him roughly, and Natsu doesn't have time to swallow his moan of her name. Her lips twist into a smile against his chest, small and sleepy, and Natsu immediately knows it wasn't an accident. He groans again as wiggles her hips against his, giggling softly, and Natsu peers down at her, eyes narrowed playfully.

Lucy peeks up at him through her eyelashes, blinking innocently and trying to hide her smirk against his chest. Her fingertips slide across his side, teasing his sensitive skin, and Lucy curls up tighter in his arms, dropping her head back to his chest with a sigh. She grinds down against him lazily, and Natsu knows she's still more asleep than awake.

Cursing softly, Natsu drags his fingers along her spine, making her shiver, her toes curling against his legs. She wiggles against him, a soft sound pulling from her throat as his hand slips below the blankets to palm her ass. She sighs in response, arching into his touch, hips gyrating languidly, and Natsu's hand slips lower, dipping between her thighs and making her squirm.

He traces her slit through her panties, smirking when he feels how damp they are. Lucy is utterly insatiable and Natsu can't say he minds that in the slightest. Humming to himself, Natsu dips his chin to press a quick kiss to Lucy's forehead, teasing her inner thighs before dragging his fingers along the wet lace between her legs, enjoying the soft, cooing sounds it pulls from her.

Natsu resigns himself to what's happening knowing his boner isn't going away anytime soon unless one or both of them decide to do something about it. Not that he has any problem with that. Sex with Lucy is a lot more fun than being uncomfortable and feeling like his dick might explode as he waits for his problem to go away.

The arm around his waist grips at him tighter, Lucy's nails biting at his skin as she gasps, Natsu dragging his hand along her slit roughly. She whines lowly, pressing her hips more firmly around his thigh and squeezing as she rocks against him.

Neither of them hear the front door open, footsteps padding across the floor as a low voice curses.

Lucy hums as she presses her lips against his chest, peppering kisses across his skin and teething at his collar bone, nipping him slightly to gain his attention. If she's trying to seduce him at seven in the morning on a Saturday, than Natsu thinks it's definitely working. Hell, Lucy could probably seduce him whenever she wanted. He's not picky about the when or where, so long as it's her.

Natsu hooks his fingers inside Lucy's panties, dragging them through her wetness and making her keen, her needy hips pressing into his touch as she whimpers. He smirks against her hair, lips parting to ask her what she wants and—

The door is shoved open roughly, banging against the wall with a crack that startles him and makes Lucy gasp. She goes very still, Natsu's hand cupping her beneath her underwear, fingers pressing against her clit in a way that makes her thighs twitch around him. His head snaps up, Natsu's eyes shooting open wide, but he's too shocked to pull his hands away from her beneath the blankets, instead gripping her even tighter.

"Hey, Natsu?" Gray mumbles as he shoves his way into his roommates bedroom, toothbrush hanging from his mouth and muffling his words. "I was wondering if—holy shit, Lucy?" he gasps when he sees the blonde, who whines and buries her face against Natsu's chest, curling closer to him and only succeeding in forcing Natsu's fingers tighter against her clit.

She swallows back a moan when he unintentionally pinches her clit, a jolt of heat curling through her, but Natsu hardly notices, too stunned by his roommate staring at the nearly naked Lucy lying on his chest.

The toothbrush slips from Gray's mouth, falling to the floor and getting toothpaste on Natsu's carpet. Gray's eyes dart between Lucy and Natsu, and the later glares at him, pissed about his shitty timing.

"What do you want, Gray?" he snaps, pulling Lucy tighter to his chest to keep her out of sight as best he can. He sends his friend an annoyed look, silently wishing he would burst into flames. It doesn't happen, of course, and Gray simply keeps gaping at him like an idiotic fish. Lucy releases a shaky sound against his throat, and all of Natsu's blood decides to flood to his cock, already painfully hard and pitching an obvious tent beneath the blankets.

Gray stares for several seconds too long, looking both shocked and disgusted by the sight of them curled up together, undressed and sticky from the night before. There's no misconception of what they did last night, and Natsu realizes he probably should have mentioned this to Gray earlier.

He clears his throat, having the decency to look embarrassed. "I just wanted to know if you were hungry," he mumbles, shrugging slightly. He quirks a brow at Natsu, smirking, and Natsu decides he's going to kill Gray later. "But I'm guessing you already ate," he teases, quirking a brow at them.

Natsu wisely chooses not to comment on how right he is, not wanting to share that bit of information with his douchebag roommate while he's just shy of burying his fingers inside of Lucy, who keeps twitching against him.

"Fuck off," he hisses, glaring as he looks for something to throw at Gray, who merely laughs and throws his hands up in surrender, knowing how bad Natsu's temper can get. He backs out of the room slowly, shutting the door behind him, and Natsu groans as he remembers something.

"Hey, Gray?" he calls, hoping his roommate can hear him through the door. Natsu waits, wincing when he hears a muffled sound from the other side. Clearing his throat, Natsu winces slightly, realizing what he forgot to do last night. "You might want to wipe down the table before you use it."

A beat of silence.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Gray shouts, disgust evident in his voice. "What the fuck, Natsu!"

He laughs, hearing Gray's muffled shouting from the other side, and chokes off as Lucy bucks against him, patience wearing thin. Surprisingly, Gray's sudden interruption hasn't seemed to ruin Lucy's good mood, her hips pressing eagerly into his hand as she whispers his name, a whimper leaving her throat.

"Shit," he murmurs, removing his hand from her panties and pressing up on his elbows to look down at her, gaze apologetic as he reaches up to cradle her jaw in his hands, nosing at her gently. She giggles, her back curving as he forces her to bend with him, her mouth hovering over his. "Sorry, Lucy," he mumbles, wincing as he presses his lips to her cheek, trailing soft kisses from her jaw to her ear and then back again.

She only giggles, shaking her head as his lips hover over hers, heir noses bumping. "You didn't tell him?" she asks, head tilting to the side as Natsu's rough lips scrape down the side of her neck, dragging a sigh from her. Lucy hums, rocking against his thigh slowly, to relieve the pressure building between her legs, clearly not deterred by Gray's disturbance.

Natsu nips at the sweet spot on her neck, making her gasp, and he snorts, wrinkling his nose at her question. "I didn't think he needed to know," he murmurs, shaking his head and settling one hand on Lucy's thigh, squeezing and guiding her to rock against him harder, liking the little sounds it pulls from her. "If I told gray, he would tell Loke," Natsu reminds her, dragging his teeth down the side of her throat. "And I don't need Loke asking me how good you are in bed."

He growls it against her skin, snorting in disgust as he imagines Loke asking him about what Lucy enjoys. Like hell he would ever tell _him_ anything that might get Lucy off. Natsu will take those secrets to the grave.

"And why's that?" she asks, hands sliding up his chest to loop around his neck, Lucy humming as he peppers her neck in soft kisses, drawing Lazy circles against her thigh as she rolls her hips against him, soft coos and sighs breathed against his ear.

Natsu grins against her, teasing one of the hickeys on her neck with the tip of his tongue and making her shiver. "Do I really seem like the type to share?" he asks her, low and rough, throat still raw from the night before. The question draws a shiver from Lucy, and her hips just to his. He curses, eyes squeezing shut as she grinds her thigh against his cock, Lucy teasing him as much as he is her.

"No," she finally whispers back after several long seconds, tilting his head up until her breath ghosts his lips. "You never have been good at that," she muses, fingers threading through his hair and tugging him forward roughly. He groans against her lips, Lucy's mouth hot against his as she plasters herself to him, tongue tracing the seam of his lips before coming to play with the piercing in his lower lip, something she's grown fond of. Natsu smiles as he slides his hand higher, fisting at her ass and jerking her against him, grinding his leg against her covered clit and making her squeal.

Lucy pulls away quickly, breathing heavy as she looks down at him through lidded eyes. A whimper escapes her as he continues to tease her slit, pressing her to him roughly. "Why, Mister Dragneel," she whispers, choking on a gasp when he reaches between them to pinch her clit, rubbing her through her underwear, "are you trying to seduce me?"

She's teasing, he knows, repeating the same question he asked her that first morning after they hooked-up. They weren't able to do anything then, but he'll be damned if he lets her leave this bed without getting a little messy first.

Natsu steals a kiss from her, sighing as she tugs at his hair, fingers twisting through the bright strands. "Are you complaining?" He slips two fingers beneath her panties to touch her directly, dragging them through the wetness between her legs in slow, teasing strokes, making her squirm and whimper. She shifts, trying to get him to play with her clit, but Natsu moves with her, denying her what she wants.

Lucy huffs, pulling back and nipping at his chin as she pouts up at him. "Not at all," she murmurs, pressing butterfly kisses against his jaw as she rocks into his hand, Natsu just shy of entering her. "But right now I don't want your hand," she tells him lowly, breathing it against his ear.

He stiffens, cock straining beneath his boxers as she blinks up at him, fluttering her lashes. "And what do you want?" he practically growls, prodding at her clit gently. Lucy sighs at the light touch, head tilting back slightly as she arches into him, eagerly rocking into his hand. Natsu grins, taking pity on her as he rubs at her sensitive button, pinching it slightly and making her squirm. "You gonna answer me, Lucy," he jokes, rubbing her harder in a way that makes her moan.

She sits up suddenly, pulling away from him, and Natsu's hand slips from her underwear, his eyes widening as he wonders if he's done something wrong. Lucy quells these fears as she shifts, tossing a leg over both his hips and hovering over him. She shifts, settling directly over his cock and grinds down against him before he can ask what she's doing.

Natsu gasps, dropping back onto the bed and groaning, hands latching onto Lucy's hips as she rocks against him slowly, teasing his length through his boxers, judging how ready he is. Her hands slide down his chest, palms flat against him, and she leans down until her lips are pressed to his ear. "You," she tells him.

Natsu groans, deciding to let her do what she wants, perfectly content with her rocking against him languidly, her gaps and sighs the only sound in the room. He peeks up at her, seeing Lucy smiling down at him, and he grins back. One hand leaves her hips, tracing up her back slowly, feeling her muscles twitch beneath his touch, and gently tangles his fingers through her hair, watching as her eyes flutter shut, Lucy's mouth dropping open in a soft moan when he bucks up to meet her, shoving himself against her heat.

Biting her lip, Lucy reaches between them frantically, gently shifting his boxers to pull out his cock. Her fingers slide against him, cool against his heated skin, and Natsu hums as she pumps him in her hand, thumb rolling over his tip and spreading the moisture there. Her hand dips low for a moment, then glides back up, squeezing him softly.

His hand joins hers, shifters her panties aside as she presses up on her knees, lining him up with her entrance. Lucy bites her lip, rocking against him again, coating his head in her wetness, and Natsu moans at the contact, sensitive and wanting as she rides the length of him. His cock kisses her clit and she whines, shifting above him and moving faster, Natsu guiding her hips with a gentle hand.

"Fuck, Lucy," he rasps beneath her, barely biting back a groan as she sinks onto him suddenly, hips circling against his as she takes his cock slowly, panting at the feel of him filling her once more.

She whimpers, hips flush against his, and her arms shake slightly, nails scratching at his chest. "Natsu," she chokes out, rolling against him, mouth dropping open as he strokes her inner walls just right, his head pressing at a sensitive spot inside her.

He pulls at her hair gently, tilting her head back, and she gasps as she rises against him, walls fluttering around his cock. She drops back onto him suddenly, startling him into a moan, and the hand on her hip squeezes hard enough to bruise as he bucks up into her, drawing a strangled sound from her.

It won't take much to get her off, he knows, given how responsive she is. He doesn't think he'll last long himself, not with the way she's squeezing around him and looking at him, eyes hazy with lust and something else he can't quite place.

Her hips roll against his, Lucy picking up the pace until she's riding him in a frantic bounce, soft sounds spilling from her, never once the same. She calls his name as he ruts against her, hips moving with hers as he guides her to rock against him, and Natsu surges upwards.

She squeals as he sits up, one hand pressed to the center of her back to hold her steady against him. Lucy loses her rhythm for a moment, startled by Natsu dragging her forward until his back is pressed against the headboard. Natsu drags her lips up to meet his, kissing her softly, and Lucy sighs against his mouth, fingers knotting in his hair as she resumes rocking against him, humming into the kiss as she rides him languidly.

Natsu smiles against her, perfectly content as he hand slides along her spine, tracing shapes into her skin and peppering her face with sweet kisses, making her giggle. His other hand gripes at her thigh, teasing her sift skin and tracing a winding pattern along the inside of her leg, making her shiver above him, small cooing sounds pulling from her throat and making his heart squeeze in his chest.

Natsu pulls back, letting his lips brush along her neck, soft and barely there, almost a ghost against her skin. His hands become desperate then, curling around Lucy's back, fingers pressing into her skin almost too tightly as he presses against her, urging her hips to move faster against hers, low whimpers pulling from Lucy as rocks against his lap, circling her hips as Natsu thrusts up to meet her.

Her fingers tangle in his hair, nails pricking at the back of his neck as her other arm slips around his shoulders. She drags his mouth up to meet hers, careful as her hand leaves his hair, coming around to cradle his jaw. He smiles against her, fingers dragging back up her back, only just grazing her skin and sending a shiver down her spine. Goosebumps prickle at her skin, but he only pulls her closer as she quivers above him. Lucy sighs against him, a breathless giggle spilling from her lips as he prods at her ribcage, tickling and teasing, making her squirm.

Natsu exhales through his nose, practically sighing against her, mouth pressing against hers with just enough pressure to make her head spin as he pulls her flush up against him, arms coiling around her back. He inhales deeply, drinking in the familiar smell of honey he's come to associate with her. Lucy shifts slightly on her knees, smiling against him as her long hair falls around them in a curtain. She pulls back briefly, panting, and Natsu is struck with the thought that she's the most beautiful thing he's ever seen.

She presses tighter against him, as if trying to crawl into his ribcage and make herself a home. Her lips meet his once more, Lucy dipping her chin, attempting to deepen the kiss as best she can. Natsu leans into her, tilting her back as he kisses her harder. His teeth nip at her lower lip suddenly, followed by his tongue brushing over the same spot. A small sound leaves her throat, but he swallows it quickly, pressing closer before pulling back suddenly.

His hand slips between them as he murmurs her name, fingers shifting her panties aside until he finds her clit, rubbing at her nub slowly. Lucy jerks above him, whimpering at his touch, and her nails drag down his back, just barely grazing his skin. "Lucy," he breathes against her, choking on her name as she falls apart in his arms, shivering as her limbs lock around him, walls squeezing around his cock as she releases a breathy sound, her forehead dropping to rest against his shoulder.

Natsu tilts her head to the side, kissing her neck, follows her a moment later, breaths turning ragged as he groans and hips jerking against hers as he as he spills himself deep inside her.

Lucy's arms lock around him like a vice, her hips pressed tight against his, and Natsu carefully shifts until they can both lie down. He trails his lips down her neck, still buried inside her, and Lucy drops boneless against him, panting as she cuddles against his chest, nosing at his ribs as he traces her spine. Lucy fits herself against his front, draped over him like a blanket, and Natsu's eyes slip shut, content as he draws circles against her back.

* * *

Lucy sighs as she steps into the kitchen, shoving her dripping hair out of her eyes and yawning despite herself, the warm shower she helped herself to doing nothing to wake her up. As much as she would have loved to stay in bed with Natsu all day and laze around, she does have a few things she needs to do, her boss kind enough to give her the entire weekend off.

Pouting, she glances at Natsu's door behind her, wishing he'd gotten up with her, but shrugs it off, knowing he needs his sleep just as much as she does. Besides, he did most of the work last night, she's surprised he was even awake earlier than her. She supposes he always has been one to rise with the sun, and quite literally at that. Lucy herself is more of a night owl, preferring to sleep the day away for as long as she can.

Ten in the morning seemed like a good time to get up, though not for want of doing so. She was warm and comfortable curled up with him under the blankets, but she was also very _sticky_ with sweat and other unmentionable things, and as nice as she felt after fantastic morning sex, Lucy can only handle sticky for so long.

Regardless, he'll probably find some way to drag her into bed later, or maybe they can cuddle up and watch a movie. She doesn't care much what they do, so long as it's the two of them. It's always more fun when they're together.

Lucy fiddles with her clothes, having stolen an old t-shirt of Natsu's when she couldn't find her own clothes. She stuck with her dirty undergarments, not comfortable with going commando with Gray around. She loves Gray, she does, but she really doesn't need him getting an eyeful of her panties. He's too much of a brother for her to be comfortable with that in the slightest.

Besides, she figures he's seen more than enough panties in to keep himself satisfied, among other things. Gray is, perhaps, the biggest manwhore she's ever met, aside from Loke of course. No one's a bigger manwhore than Loke, he has a new guy or girl every week, and Lucy thinks that's both impressive and very, very sad.

Gray looks up as she enters the room, sending her a too tense smile and gesturing to the coffee maker, silently telling her to help herself. She would have gone for the coffee even without his permission but she figures it's nice to be offered some. They both know that Natsu doesn't like coffee unless he's stealing it from her—claiming she's the only one that knows how to "get it right," whatever that means—and Gray can't have more then two cups without turning into a dramatic idiot, so it's safe to say most of that pot is hers.

Actually, she thinks that might be the coffee pot they stole from her freshman year of college.

They sit in silence for several minutes, Lucy drinking her coffee and playing a game on Natsu's phone, her own dead and charging in the bedroom, forgotten the night before, and Gray pretending he isn't staring at her, eyes slightly narrowed as he looks her up and down, as if trying to see the ghosts of Natsu hands on her body, disbelief clear in his eyes. Lucy rolls her eyes, trying not to flush as Gray catches sight of one of the monster hickeys on her neck. Natsu really doesn't know how to be careful with his mouth, though she can't say she was complaining about it.

"So…" Gray starts awkwardly, trailing off with a wince as he glances down at his half-empty mug. "You two had sex last night?" he asks her, making a face as he says it. Lucy rolls her eyes again, snorting into her mug as she takes a long drink, wishing it were vodka instead.

At least that would make this conversation tolerable.

She quirks a brow at him, trying and failing to ignore the pink, fuzzy handcuffs sitting innocently on the table, clearly being broken in last night. "Great investigative skills there, Sergeant Fullbuster," she teases, hiding her smile behind her coffee.

He glares at her, snorting, but settles with rolling his eyes. "I'm just trying to wrap my head around this," Gray tells her defensively, shaking his head before glancing at Natsu's closed door in disgust. "You had sex with Natsu," he mumbles, looking one part exhausted and two parts tired.

The walk of shame really doesn't look good on him.

"Yup," she responds simply, shrugging as she exits out of the app on Natsu's phone, pulling up his photos instead and heading to the folder filled with pictures of Happy. If she's going to have this conversation with Gray she's going to need at least one more cup of coffee and a whole lot of kitten pictures to keep herself from jumping out the window.

"Single or plural?"

Lucy shoots him a glare, setting down her coffee and Natsu's phone as she stares at Gray, debating asking why he wants to know, but deciding she probably wouldn't like the answer. "Not that it's any of _your_ business," she tells him, receiving a sheepish smile from Gray, "but plural." Honestly, this is not a conversation she wants to be having. Natsu needs to get his lazy ass out here and save her or something, but she really doesn't want to discus her sex life with _Gray_ of all people.

He nods slowly, expression critical. "So you're dating now?" he asks, almost hopeful.

Something in Lucy's gut twists painfully, and she winces, gaze dropping to the countertop. She bites her lip, tracing nonsensical shapes across the smooth surface. "No," she murmurs, swallowing down the lump in her throat and hoping he can't hear the bitter note in her words. Lucy sighs, feeling Gray's eyes on her. "Look, it just kind of happened, okay?"

He snorts, shaking his head, and sends Lucy a look that makes her feel stupid. "What like an accident?" he gripes, shaking his head in something like amusement. "You don't just accidentally start fucking someone, Lucy," he tells her, gesturing towards Natsu's door with his mug and making her wince.

She stiffens, lips pursing as she shoots him a cold look. He knows better than to talk to her like that, the hypocrite. "You would know, right, Gray?" she hisses back, quirking an unimpressed brow, not amused with his jokes. She's not the one that fucks around. She would never call what she and Natsu are doing an accident, because she's not ashamed of it.

"Don't you dare use that against me," he hisses back at her, glaring, and Lucy snorts, crossing her arms and tossing one long leg over the other on top of the counter, uncaring of the way her shirt rides up her thighs. It's not like it's something Gray hasn't seen before. If he was interested, he would have made a pass on her years ago.

She sends him a withering look, and Gray has the decency to look mildly ashamed. "Than butt out, Officer Fuzzy-cuffs," she mumbles, eyeing the handcuffs critically. They look like something from a cheap porno, and she really doesn't like the mental picture she gets off Gray cuffing someone to a bed.

He rolls his eyes and picks them up, twirling them around his finger carefully. "I'll have you know these are delightful," he tells her, grinning in a was that disgusts her. Yeah, she really doesn't want to know where those cuffs have been and whose wrists they've been on.

Why does she have to suffer like this.

"Yeah," she drawls, snorting as she plays with the hem of her borrowed shirt, smiling fondly at the faded logo on the chest. It's some old thing Natsu's had since high school. It used to be a fiery red with a dragon printed across the front, a favorite of his, but the color is washed out, the dragon peeling away in places. She traces a fond finger across it before turning back to Gray. "I'm sure your conquest of the week liked them," she agrees, wrinkling her nose.

"Hey!" he hisses disapprovingly, frowning at her as he crosses his arms. "Don't call them conquests," Gray demands, looking wounded as he glares at Lucy, "I treat them like people."

Lucy hides a smile, loving how she's able to turn the conversation back on him. Usually Gray picks up on it faster, but she supposes he's a bit shaken by the revelation that she and Natsu have fucked a few times. "Do you make polite chat while you screw them?" she asks Gray, snickering as his face turns an alarming shade of red.

"No," Gray hisses, blushing as he stares down at his mug. "I wait until _after_ ," he mumbles, sniffing as if she's offended him somehow. Gray always been rather dramatic, despite his aloof, early-two-thousands emo façade. "So where's Sparky Sparky Boom Man?" he asks, changing the subject.

Lucy considers asking him what the hell that means, but decides it's simply not worth it to ask. "Sleeping," she tells Gray, shrugging before sending him an impish look and raising her mug back to her lips. "I think I wore him out last night," she jokes, cackling when Gray sends her a disturbed look.

He blanches, choking on his coffee, and tosses a rubber coaster in her direction, missing her by an inch in his hurry. "Eww," he whines, pretending to gag. "Lucy, you're like my sister, I don't want to know that." He shudders, disgusted, and Lucy snorts, giggling.

"You asked," she reminds him, sending his a pointed look, which Gray blatantly ignores, shuddering in disgust at the mere thought of Natsu being sexually active. Sometimes she wonders how they manage to tolerate each other.

They lapse into an awkward silence, neither of them breathing a word as they drink their coffee. Gray keeps shooting looks between her and Natsu's bedroom, shaking his head every few minutes. Lucy swings her feet back and forth, observing the chipped polish on her nails with a frown. Something catches her eyes across the room, a dark mass on the floor, and Lucy flushes when she realizes it's her clothes from the night before, all settled into a small, innocent looking pile that must have been made by Gray.

She'll have to thank him for that later.

Gray wets his lips, peering at her awkwardly, the silence eating away at him. Usually he's a bit more calm, but she's two seconds from freaking the fuck out right now, considering he walked in on them this morning. This is not the conversation she wants to be having right now. She really should have just stayed in bed until Gray left again or Natsu woke up, at least then she wouldn't be alone out here.

"Do you want to borrow the fuzzy cuffs?" Gray asks her hesitantly, holding them out to her.

Lucy groans, eyes squeezing shut tightly as she considers it. "Yes, please," she whispers, reaching out with an open palm for him to hand them over, which Gray does with a shit-eating smile.

She's twirling the cuffs around her finger slowly when Natsu's bedroom door opens, she and Gray both glance behind them, turning in time to see Natsu step out of his room with a yawn, bare-chested and wearing only a rumpled pair of sleeping pants. He runs a tired hand through his hair, glancing around the apartment with a narrow look, and grins when he sees her, brightening immediately. Lucy finds herself smiling back readily, and Gray feigns gagging at the dope look on Natsu's face.

Natsu quirks a brow at the handcuffs in her hand, but doesn't ask, merely shrugs and leans down to press a quick kiss against her temple. Gray raises a surprised brow, but remains silent as Natsu smiles and steps up between her legs, his arms coiling around her waist as she lazily wraps hers around his shoulders, propping her chin up against his shoulder. Natsu chuckles as she curls herself around him like a vice, her legs swinging back and forth wildly. Lucy noses at his throat, leeching his warmth and again wishing she just stayed in bed with him.

"Mornin' you," Natsu murmurs against her ear, gently tangling his fingers through her hair and giving her waist an affectionate squeeze. Again, Natsu presses a quick kiss ro the side of her head, shifting so that she's tucked against his chest, her head resting against his shoulder as his thumb traces circles against her spine.

She giggles, twisting to nose at his jaw, all too aware of Gray watching them in an odd combination of intrigue and disgust. Lucy resists rolling her eyes. As if she hasn't seen Gray do worse than a little cuddling. At least he didn't have to see her drunkenly make out with someone at the last Christmas party. She would give anything to erase that image of Gray and Loke from her mind.

All she wanted was her coat, not a free strip show a la Loke.

"Hi, Natsu," she murmurs back, pressing her lips to the side of his neck, smirking when she hears Gray gagging behind them.

He nuzzles into her hair, resting his cheek against her crown and practically purring when her toes drag along the backs of his calves, Lucy's grip around him tightening just the slightest. "I woke up and you were gone," he slurs, clearly still half-asleep. She's not surprised. If Natsu doesn't get up early the first time, he can sleep in until noon.

There's a soft jingling sound as Happy pads across the floor, the bell on his collar announcing his presence. The little cat trills as he sees them, hopping onto the counter beside Lucy and brushing his cheek against her arm before stretching, his sharp nails poking at her bare thigh.

Natsu gently moves him away from Lucy, one of his hands dropping down to play with the hem of her borrowed shirt, a finger dipping below the fabric to tickle her upper thigh, Natsu clearly uncaring of his roommate standing right next to him.

Lucy hums as she thinks of a response, lost in the feeling of his finger tracing teasing circles against her thigh, making her shift slightly as anticipation floods through her. "You fell back asleep and I was sticky," she says simply, voice muffled by his shoulder. She presses a chaste kiss to his sweat-slicked skin, tasting the salt clinging to him as she wrinkles her nose.

"You two are gross," Gray informs them, looking two seconds away from drowning himself in the sink as he glares at them, abandoning his coffee mug in disgust.

Natsu snorts, shooting Gray a nasty look that she can't see. "No one fucking asked you, Dickwad," he hisses, fingers slipping a bit higher on her thigh, almost to the point of being inappropriate, but Lucy finds she doesn't really give a damn about any of that.

She has to smother a laugh against his shoulder, hearing Gray gasp and prepare some insult that's going to spark an all out war in the kitchen, something Lucy really doesn't want to deal with so early in the morning. "Natsu, be nice," she warns him, pulling back from his embrace to send him a stern look, to which he groans and rolls his eyes before dipping his chin and catching her in a sweet kiss.

"Can you two not?" Gray hisses at them, tossing what looks like a grape at Natsu's head. It bounces off, dropping to the counter, and Happy immediately begins batting it around, trilling loudly when he knocks it off the counter. "I'm kind of trying to eat here."

Natsu grunts into their kiss, flipping off Gray and kissing her a bit harder, only pulling back when Lucy gently pushes him away with a hand on his chest. "Coffee isn't eating gray," she murmurs, smiling when Natsu leans in to nose at her cheek.

"Doesn't mean I want to watch you two make out," he grumbles, glaring at them over his cup.

Natsu flips him off and Lucy laughs, pulling Natsu back into her arms, holding him to her loosely until his own arms curl around her, practically crushing her against his front. He buries his face against her hair, slipping further between her legs until she hooks her knee around on of his legs, winding herself around him. "So what are your plans today?" Natsu asks, fingers pattering along her spine in a random pattern. "Anything interesting?"

"Errands" she murmurs, snorting. "So much fun." He laughs and she grins, hiding her smile against the side of his neck, nipping at him when he steals her lukewarm cup of coffee. He pinches her side in retaliation and she huffs, rolling her eyes. "You coming with me?"

Natsu snorts. "Obviously." He sets the mug down, pulling back enough to meet her eyes. "Just let me get ready to go, okay?" She nods and he ducks down to kiss her again, pressing their foreheads together gently before disappearing towards the bathroom, leaving her and Gray sitting in silence.

Lucy scratches Happy behind his ears, playing with the bell on his collar as she listens to Natsu's footsteps grow faint as he enters the bathroom. Immediately, she misses his presence, feeling colder without him pressed against her. He's always had an uncanny way of making her chest burst with warmth, Lucy feeling lighter whenever he's nearby. It's a silly thing, nothing more than her relying on him perhaps more than she should, but she wouldn't trade it for anything. He makes her feel safe, happy, and that's more than most people have ever done.

"You know," Gray murmurs once they hear the shower start up, "you two don't really act like you're just fucking."

Lucy pretends she doesn't hear him.

* * *

The day passes slowly for Natsu, the minutes dragging along as he follows Lucy around town, hovering behind her as she does whatever she needs to do. He doesn't ask, just tails along behind her, letting her pull him around as he thinks about his next fight, the two of them settling into a comfortable silence.

He has two weeks before his next match, and he knows Laxus is going to kick his ass every day until then, making him run at least one extra mile every day. He doesn't imagine he'll be seeing Lucy much until then, which mildly upsetting, but he figures they might be able to work something out. Laxus is an asshole, but he isn't entirely heartless. Besides, Lucy is his cousin, so he's sure she might be able to swing something. Though, he'll probably get his ass kicked for sleeping with his trainer's cousin.

Not the smartest move on his part, but Natsu has no regrets.

At this point, he'll try to enjoy Lucy's company for as long as he can, and hope Laxus doesn't strangle him, should he find out. Lucy would kick the shit out him if he hurt Natsu though, so he thinks he should be safe. Laxus is kind of a coward when it comes to Lucy—Natsu opts to ignore the fact that she terrifies him too—so he wouldn't dare beat up Natsu for deflowering her, or whatever other shit Laxus would say he did.

Natsu maintains that he's done absolutely nothing wrong. Besides, she's the one that jumped him this morning, and she didn't seem to have any complaints about last night or any of the other times they've fucked around. He's pretty sure if she didn't like it she would just bash him over the head and tell him to get fucked. Lucy's kind of a kick some ass and take some names kind of girl, and he'd be lying if he said he didn't adore that about her.

It's nearly ten at night when they find themselves in South Gate Park, waiting for the meteor shower to begin. They hadn't known it was tonight until only a few hours ago, when Erza texted them wondering if they'd all like to get together at her and Jellal's flat to watch. Natsu politely—well, as politely as he ever talks to Erza—declined, wanting to spend the night with his favorite person, instead of crowded together with his drunk friends.

He loves his friends, he really does, but sometimes they're a bit _too_ much.

Natsu's gaze shifts from the dark sky, the stars the only light in the park, and glances up at the old Sola Tree, squinting to see Lucy through the leaves. She blends into the pale, gnarled bark, so hidden he can barely see her except for the shimmer of her gold hair, her shadow moving through the branches.

Shaking his head, he follows her with his eyes, expression soft as he hears her giggle from above. He hasn't the slightest idea what drove her to climb to the top of the tree, but it's been fun watching her, Lucy looking much younger than she has in years—happier.

He winces, lips twisting into a frown, and tenses when he hears her squeak as she slips on a branch, catching herself easily. It takes him a moment to relax, and Natsu sighs through his nose as he watches her.

High school wasn't a good time for her, between her mother dying and her issues with her father. He'd practically broken once, in senior year. Lucy was trying so hard to maintain her high GPA, but her father still wasn't satisfied, berating her for a poor test score in her calculus class. They had a bad fight one night over it, Jude Heartfilia pressuring her to do better. And Lucy, she pushed herself until she couldn't take it anymore.

She ended up in the hospital one night, exhausted and dehydrated, and they kept her over night. Her father never showed up, but Natsu did. He was terrified when she called him, asking if he would stay with her. Natsu packed a bag and was out the door in less than five minutes, keeping her on the phone until he could see her.

He stayed with her all night, refusing to leave her side.

He never forgave her father for that. Natsu doesn't think he ever will.

"Lucy," he calls up to her, watching her through the leaves as she worms her way up onto a higher branch, "if you fall out of that tree, I'm not catching you." There's a clear warning in his voice, but his smile is only teasing, a glimmer in his eyes when she peeks down at him and sticks out her tongue, giggling.

"That's not very nice, Natsu," she chides, scoffing, but crawling back down the tree to sit on a low-hanging branch, close enough for him to see her. Her legs swing back and forth slowly, and Natsu's greedy eyes trail across her naked skin. The pale moonlight turns her skin a milky shade, and he knows just how soft those legs feel beneath his finger tips.

He shrugs and Lucy rolls her eyes, picking at one of the small, pink blossoms on the tree, plucking on it's flowers and letting it drift down towards him. "Such a gentleman," she murmurs, sarcasm thick in her words, and Natsu pouts, holding out his arms and beckoning for her to come back to him.

She grins down at him, biting her lip as she considers her options, but eventually slips down from the low branch, dropping several feet to the ground with ease. Natsu tenses as she hits the ground, but calms a moment later as Lucy steps over to their blanket, the stars glinting overhead. He reaches for her and Lucy falls into him easily, settling on top of him with her legs on either side of his hips, much like she did this morning.

The thought makes him inhale sharply, his hands gripping at her bare thighs as he drags her higher on his hips, making her giggle. She leans down to give him a quick kiss, grinding down on him, and Natsu grunts as her hips rock against his. Lucy sighs into his mouth and he swallows the sound, a groan tearing from him as Lucy trails her lips along his jaw.

"You're gonna kill me one of these days," he grumbles, hands sliding up Lucy's sides as her lips trail across his jaw in soft, sweet kisses. Her hips circle against his, Lucy grinding down against him, and he snorts, a grin pulling at his lips.

He has no idea what he's going to do with this girl. He thought his own libido is high, but Lucy certainly gives him a run for his money. Natsu honestly can't get enough of her—of _any_ part of her. He finds himself wanting to taste her skin at the worse times, wanting to feel her move against him, her fingers trembling against his face and her legs squeezing his hips. He likes hearing her heart pound in time with his, her chest pressed tightly to his as they curl around each other.

"Maybe a little," she whispers against his cheek, nuzzling against him gently as his fingertips slip beneath her shirt, tracing across her skin slowly as her peruses the soft expanse of her stomach, the urge to taste her curling through his veins. He tugs at her shirt, letting his fingertips drag along her sides as he pulls up her tank-top. She squirms in his lap, arching into his chest as he sits up, a hand on her lower back to keep her steady.

She allows him to tug her shirt off over her head, Natsu dropping it onto the blanket beside them before pulling her tight against his chest when she shivers. Lucy's arms loop around his neck, and her lips come back to meet his as she presses several chaste kisses to his mouth, making him laugh.

Natsu's briefly considers that they probably shouldn't be undressing in a public park, but he reasons that the Sola Tree is secluded. No one ever comes out this far. Besides, they're the only ones out here, the night too chilly for anyone to be out.

Lucy quells his thoughts as she rolls her hips against his semi-aroused member, her fingers winding through his hair.

"Fuck, Lucy," he whispers against her, hips jerking against hers involuntarily. She sighs against him, and her hands slide low on his back, finding the hem of his shirt and tugging on it, silently beckoning him to remove it. Natsu grins against her mouth, hesitantly prying his hands from her skin and letting them join hers at his waist. Together, they wriggle his shirt up his frame, the two of them fumbling and smiling against each other, both loath to release each others lips.

His shirt is dropped beside hers, and Natsu pulls her back to him, pressing her to his chest with one hand as he rolls them over, gently guiding her back to rest on the blanket as he leans over her. Lucy sighs as his weight settles on top of her, her hands cupping his cheeks as he rubs himself against her.

Natsu breaks from her mouth to drag his lips down the side of her throat, nosing at her ear gently. "You know," she muses, running her fingers through his hair and tilting her head to the side for him. "I didn't think you'd let me stay on top this morning." There's something bitter about the way she says it, as if there's the memory of something sour on her tongue.

Pulling away from her soft skin, Natsu presses up on his elbows to stare down at her, "Why wouldn't I?" he mumbles, reaching up to brush her hair away from her eyes, letting his hand linger against her cheek. She leans into him, her hand coming up to cover hers, and his heart swells when she presses a gentle kiss against his palm before cuddling into him.

She peeks up at him shyly, and Natsu dips down to press a reassuring kiss against the corner of her mouth, his fingers slipping through hers as he tangles the two of them together.

Lucy shrugs, hesitating, and his frown only deepens. "Some guys don't like that," she murmurs, and he snorts, eyes narrowing. He knows Lucy's had some pretty shit boyfriends in the past, but he has no idea how someone wouldn't adore having her on top of them, watching her as she moves and gasps, head thrown back and hips working against his slowly.

There was something calm about it, unfamiliar and soft, almost sweet, and Natsu knows he'll never be able to forget the image of her settled over him like that.

"Some guys are stupid," he reminds her, nosing at her jaw as she giggles, her free hand winding through his hair. Their entwined hands slip from her face, coming to rest beside her, and Natsu shifts his grip so that he can squeeze her palm in his, smiling when she squeezes back twice as hard.

He dips his chin, his free hand teasing the skin of her waist as he steals a kiss, then another and another until he doesn't dare break away from her, content with the way his lungs burn, his heart pounding beneath his ribs. Lucy hums against his lips, sighing as his hips roll against hers.

They aren't hurried like they have been in the past, moving against each other slowly, weaving together like they belong that way. Natsu pulls away from her lips to trail his mouth down the front of her neck, listening to her gasp and coo as his lips scrape down her throat. Her fingers squeeze around his, and Lucy whispers his name to the sky, praise on her lips.

Natsu places a gentle kiss between the valley of her breasts, glancing up at her and locking their gazes as his lips trail to the right, following the lining of her bra. He nips at her skin, Lucy shivering beneath him, and presses a soothing kiss against the reddening spot, feeling her heart pound beneath his lips.

Her hand slides around to the scar on his throat, fingers trembling against him, and Natsu trails kisses back down to the center of her chest before moving lower.

The tip of his nose drags across the smooth skin of her belly, Lucy's stomach dipping away from his touch as she giggles. Grinning, Natsu presses a kiss just above her bellybutton, hand smoothing up and down her side, ghosting across her ribs and making her shiver. Natsu drinks in the taste of her, kissing her with teeth and tongue until she's panting beneath him, soft whimpers the only sound breaching the silence around them.

Her shorts are added to their pile quickly, neither of them paying any mind to the stars beginning to fall around them, one or two dotting the sky at once, barely noticeable. His thumb drags across the fabric between her legs and Lucy whispers his name, something needy in her tone as she drags him back up to meet her.

Her legs curl around his hips, the pair of them slowly worming down his jeans, Natsu kicking them off to be forgotten until they leave for the night. He settles against her, Lucy's body soft beneath his, pliant and willing as she winds around him, mouth meeting his in a gentle kiss. Her fingers skim down his chest, ghosting across his ribs before slipping back up, threading through his hair and holding him tightly against her. The hand locked with his squeezes around his fingers, and Lucy sighs into him, warming his bones. His hand slips beneath the fabric on her lower half, tickling her bare hip and he presses against her. Teeth nip at her lower lip, teasing her, and he smiles.

He growls against her, shuddering as she sucks his lower lip into her mouth, tongue grazing it lightly. Groaning against her, Natsu tears his lip from her grasp, resting his forehead against hers as he pants, eyes blinking open to lock with hers, gaze burning. Natsu's lips go back to hers, softer this time, sweeter, his tongue sliding across the seam of her lips slowly. She smiles against his mouth, lips parting in order to let him in, her entire body shaking with a sigh as his tongue sweeps into her mouth, running across the back of her teeth and trailing over the roof of her mouth—everywhere all at once.

Her hand slips down to cup his face, fingers stroking his cheeks gently. Her hips circle against his slowly, surprising him into a groan, and Natsu shifts the fabric between them, baring more of their skin. He pulls back slowly, reluctantly, his forehead pressing against hers, both of them breathing heavily. She murmurs his name, pulling him down to her.

Lips meet her skin once more, hot wet kisses trailing over her jaw and down her neck, then back up, over her cheek and then to her ear, nibbling at the lobe and making her wriggle against his lower half, back arching into him as he murmurs her name against her skin, tongue flicking out to taste her.

Her legs squeeze around his waist, tugging him forward, and his free hand slides back up her thigh, skimming over her hip before slipping around to her back, pressing her more intimately against him. He sighs, content as her hips move against his slowly, languidly, nothing but him and her and the stars. She breathes against his skin, mouth moving along his jaw, touching, but never quite kissing.

Natsu rocks against her then, barely touching her, and she gasps his name, needy hips pressing into his as she arches her back. He skims over her slit and she gives a shuddery exhale, quivering as he rolls against her, slipping inside with one slow thrust, both of them wanting and ready. A low sound rumbles in his chest, vibrating into her own from where they lie, wound so tightly together that the line between where one stops and the other begins blurs.

Time passes, the night growing lighter as the stars explode, showering the Sola Tree in light. Her hips circle against his slowly and he whispers her name, voice hoarse and breathy. She squeezes around him, arching into him, and he holds her tighter, desperate as she comes apart in his arms, squeezing the hand locked with hers. A low, keening sound spills from her lips, but his mouth swallows the sound, his hips rocking against hers.

Lucy shudders beneath him, boneless as she comes down from her high, fingers tracing the angles of his face slowly.

She whispers his name and he twitches above her, trembling as he groans low in his throat, her name on his lips. Natsu sighs as his forehead drops onto her shoulder, spilling himself deep inside her. His arms slip around her back as he pulls her into a soft embrace, breathing heavily. He hovers over her, letting her wrap herself around him, curling into his chest and burying herself inside his ribs. Her thumbs rub circles into his shoulder blades as she nuzzles his ear, feeling him breathe her name against her.

It's later, the two of them wrapped up in their blanket, Lucy cuddled against his chest as they watch the sky explode with light, a thousand meteors shooting across the park, that Natsu realizes he's never felt more at home. He traces a lazy pattern across her back, an arm curved around her and holding her loosely against his side, nose buried against her hair. Lucy's palm settles against his rapidly beating heart, feeling his pulse pound beneath her touch. Her breath ghosts his ribs, and Natsu plays with her golden hair, twirling it around his finger as Lucy counts his ribs, feeling the uneven curves and dips of formerly broken bones.

She shudders, nosing at his side almost apologetically, and decorates his skin with butterfly kisses, soothing the bruises dotting his skin, small and faded from his last fight, but still present against his sides.

He knows she isn't looking forward to his next fight, knowing she doesn't like to watch, but she'll be there anyway, waiting for in the crowd. She doesn't say a word about his bruises or the bumps where ribs were fractured, only tucks herself closer against his side, soothing him with her cool fingers.

The shower comes to an end near two in the morning, one or two dotting the sky, harder to find but no less beautiful. Watching one pass over head, Lucy curled against him, dozing against his chest, Natsu decides to take a chance and make a wish.

* * *

 **AN: Hey, so if y'all like this could you maybe review it? I don't mean to sound desperate, but chapter 3 got like 1/2 the reviews of chapter 2, and if reviews keep dropping, this will probably go on hiatus while i work on something else.**


	5. Double Date

**AN: There's smut at the end. You have been warned.**

* * *

 **Benefits**

 **Chapter Five: Double Date**

Lucy isn't sure how she ended up here. Actually, that's a lie. She knows exactly how she ended up here and she blames Natsu for it. This is all his fault and Lucy's not going to forgive him for duping her like this. She won't be had by her There has to be something illegal about this, because is definitely not here on her own free will. Natsu practically had to drag her here and she is, not having a good time in the slightest. And Gajeel won't stop smirking and she would rip that look right off his face if they weren't in public.

Natsu's hand drops beneath the table to rest against her thigh, giving her a soft squeeze, and Lucy shoots him a nasty look out of the corner of her eye, fighting the urge to pout. He's only trying to help, always attentive to her growing nerves, but frankly he's the reason she's here in the first place and technically this is his fault. As if reading her thoughts, Natsu winces, but sends her a small, reassuring smile, silently promising everything's going to be okay.

Which is a big fat _lie_ , but Lucy digresses. Things can't get much worse at this point. It's already raining and Lucy's pretty sure her makeup is smudged beyond repair and if Natsu doesn't stop touching her thigh in the next ten seconds she's probably going to snap and jump him in the booth, which would be all kinds of uncomfortable for the occupants of the café.

They'd be thrown out for that for sure. She's fairly certain that groping her best friend in public violates some kind of "no shirt, no shoes" law.

And she likes this café. It's quiet and nice and this is where Lucy got through ninety-percent of her college papers without crying. She used to curl up in one of the back booths with Natsu and she would work on her papers while he tried to distract her, inevitably leading to them making too much noise and fondly being kicked out by the owner, Aquarius.

This is also the site of the infamous chilly-cheese fries incident of their sophomore year of college, the recollection of which once caused Jellal to laugh so hard he snorted milk out of his nose. That reaction was probably better than the chilly-cheese fries incident in itself. Lucy didn't even know Jellal could laugh much less snort out _milk_.

Regardless, this café is sacred and filled with memories of chilly-cheese and late night conversations, and Natsu is ruining the sanctity of this café by bringing her here for the worst not-double-date of her life. Because this isn't a date. It's just two not-dating people who have slightly less than casual sex hanging out with their friends in a very committed relationship.

Completely normal.

How the fuck did she end up in this situation again?

 _Lucy rolled on top of Natsu, hips sliding against his slowly, and he groaned as his fingers curled around her hips, keeping her in place as she perused his neck. Humming to herself, Lucy lost herself in the taste of his skin. She worked her way down his neck, paying special attention to a spot that made him gasp, his fingers digging into her bare skin. Her lips brushed against the scar on his throat, Natsu moaning her name, and she grinned before dragging her teeth along his sensitive skin._

 _His reaction is gratifying, a low sound tearing from his chest as he rocked up against her. The pressure against her core was mind-numbing, Lucy unable to simply think as he ground her down against him, his stiff member pressing into her thigh and making her pant._

 _Natsu's fingers found her throat, pulling her up to meet him gently. Lucy sighed as her lips met his, the kiss far more gentle than she would have expected from him. His fingertips dragged along the bare skin of her back, tracing shapes against her spine and causing her to giggle against him, Lucy squirming on his lap. A sharp roll of her hips made him curse against her lips, Natsu mumbling praise as her tongue toyed with the piercing in his lip._

 _His piercings continued to be fascinating to her, Lucy finding them every time they come together like this. Before Natsu, Lucy never would have guessed she'd have a thing for them. She had her bad boy phases, of course. She was seventeen once and her father was strict._

 _Consequently, that was how she met Gajeel, which was both unrelated and something she would rather not think about when she had Natsu's fingers stroking the sensitive skin of her inner thighs._

 _Her fingers tangled through his hair, Natsu pressing scorching kisses across her jaw and down her throat, Lucy silently bemoaning the fact that she'd have to cover the bruises later, not wanting to deal with the teasing at work later. Gajeel would never let it go and Cana would ask far too many questions about Natsu's performance and Lucy would rather die than talk about Natsu's dick with his cousin and a pervert._

 _Though, she doubted Gajeel would want to hear anything about how absolutely fantastic his cousin is in bed anyway. Besides, Lucy would much rather keep that information to herself. She never was the best at sharing, least of all about things like this._

 _Whatever "this" was._

 _Gray's words from a few days earlier flooded back to her, but she shoved them aside, grinding down against Natsu harder to distract herself from her thoughts._

 _Natsu gasped something beneath her, hands stilling her hips suddenly, ceasing her movements. Lucy froze against him, gaze immediately finding his face, eyes wide, but he merely sent her a shaky smile. His lips parted and then he said the last thing she was expecting._

 _Lucy blinked down at him stupidly for a moment, unable to process the words, which were certainly not any form of pillow talk Lucy was used to. "I'm sorry, can you repeat that?" she asked, head tilting to the side curiously._

 _Natsu blanched, grip tightening on her thighs as he forced himself to sit up on the bed. Lucy fell into his lap willingly, suspicion painted across her face as she stared at him. Natsu avoided her gaze, one hand slipping around to the small of her back to keep her balanced as the other went to the back of his head. His fingers ruffled his hair nervously, Natsu biting his lower lip in a way that made her stomach flip._

 _Her stomach had been doing that a lot lately because of him, but usually in a more positive way._

" _Gajeel invited us out to lunch this afternoon," he told her, voice a pitch higher than usual. Lucy narrowed her eyes, but looped her arms around his neck regardless of the fact she knew he was hiding something. Natsu always had a spectacular poker face, but he never was able to lie to her. It always showed in his eyes._

 _Her fingers slid through his hair easily, nails dragging across his scalp and making him groan lowly. "Oh?" she asked, coy with an edge of disbelief in her tone. Natsu traced a pattern across her thigh, making her squirm, but it only made her disbelief grow. "Just the three of us?" Sarcasm creeped into her words, and they come out as a low hiss._

 _Lucy rolled her eyes, already aware of what he was doing, and none to impressed at his attempt at being sly._

" _Not exactly," he admitted, cringing as he coiled his arms around her, as if afraid she would disappear._

 _Humming in thought, Lucy allowed him to nose as her jaw apologetically. He dipped his chin slightly, pressing his lips to a sensitive spot on her neck, and Lucy sighed, exasperated but happy as he began working his way down her throat. "And you decide to tell me this when I'm about to have sex with you because?" she murmured, genuinely curious._

 _The boys were conspiring to force her and Levy to talk, Lucy highly doubted now was the time to discuss that. She could have complained, refused to go and told Natsu to fuck off, but she missed Levy more than thought she would. It'd been nearly a month since they argued, the summer slowly slipping away from them, and Lucy knew this was the push they both needed to work things out._

 _Natsu shrugged, mouthing at the side of her neck. "I figured you'd be mad if I waited until we were done," he said, peppering soft kisses down to her shoulder. Lucy shivered against him, tilting her head to the side when he kissed her pulse, nipping at her._

" _I'd be more compliant if I was satiated," she joked, arching into him when he suddenly grabbed her ass, grinding her down against him._

 _Natsu's hot breath fanned across her lips, making Lucy's thighs tighten around him. "I'll make it up to you," he promised, voice low in her ear, nearly a growl. A shiver ran up Lucy's spine, but Natsu pulled away from her a moment later, sighing. Gently, he rolled them over, resting his weight onto her and finding one of her hands in the early morning light, their fingers linking together. "Will you be okay with this?" Natsu asked, squeezing her hand as he rested his forehead against hers. "You know we both just want to help."_

" _I know," she whispered back, sighing at the comforting weight of him on top of her. Natsu nosed at her ear, blanketing her, and she looped her free arm around his neck, fingers squeezing around his. "And thank you for that." Lucy smiled, turning to press a sloppy kiss against his cheek. He pinched her side in retaliation, making her giggle and squirm beneath him. Her expression slipped away a moment later, Lucy wincing. "But I don't know how easy that will be."_

 _Propping his chin against her shoulder, Natsu tilted his head to look at her, expression unreadable. "What happened, Lucy?" She winced, realizing she hadn't told him much about what happened that day. Lucy could hardly believe nearly a month had gone by since the first time they had sex. They fell into things so naturally. It merely became another part of the day for them._

 _She shrugged. "When I told her about this," she began, playing with his fingers as he stared down at her. "Us. She was mad." Lucy sighed, shifting underneath him until she pressed her nose to his chest, practically hiding beneath him. "I would have thought she'd be…" Lucy trailed off, the words dying on her lips before she could say them._

 _Natsu pressed a kiss against her hair. "She'd be what?" he murmured._

 _Happy. "It doesn't matter," she promised, heart squeezing in her chest. "I just thought she'd be more supportive, but she wasn't. And that hurt." Lucy would have thought Levy, of all people, would have more faith in her, but she could understand the reasoning. People get hurt in situations like theirs. "I know why she thinks this won't end well but…"_

 _Above her, Natsu tensed, breath hot against her. "Jet?" he asked, an unfamiliar rumble to the words, something thick lacing his tongue._

 _She hummed in agreement, pressing a kiss to his naked shoulder. Her hand followed, fingertips tracing the fine lines of his arm muscles. Jet was a black stain on their group during the early years of college. Gajeel and Levy danced around each other for nearly two years before she grew fed up with waiting for the man. Instead, she's started a thing with a friend in one of her classes named Jet._

 _It didn't end well._

" _You know that's not what this is, right?" Lucy asked him suddenly, hand wiggling from his grasp so she could cradle his face, thumbs stroking his cheeks as he stared down at her. Natsu's gaze was heartbreakingly honest, Lucy easily losing herself in the familiar green. A lump welled in Lucy's throat, tears suddenly burning at her eyes. Her grip on him grew tight, a panic suddenly seizing her as her hands began to tremble. "You mean more to me than just—" she cut off abruptly, hiccupping as she clung to him._

 _Natsu's eyes went wide, his lips parting slightly before he hushed her, both arms curling around her tight as his legs tangled with hers, Natsu winding himself around her completely. "I know, Lucy," he whispered, leaning in for a chaste kiss. "I know." She squeezed her eyes shut, trembling beneath him, and Natsu nuzzled her hair, murmuring nonsense against her as she fought back tears, unsure why she was so upset. "Hey, you're okay," he promised, cooing down at her. "And you know how much you mean to me, too."_

Groaning, Lucy returns to the present, her fingers drumming against the tabletop as she stares at the bare surface, the four of them waiting for their meals to arrive. With every passing minute Lucy feels a little more like dying. The silence is eating at her, Levy steadfast ignoring her and Gajeel and Natsu whispering to each other and watching them like a tennis match. Which would be a lot more pertinent if something were _actually_ happening.

Not that Lucy particularly wants to get into an argument in the middle of a café, but at least that would be better than Levy ignoring her. It stings, the way Levy won't even look at her, but Lucy can't seem to find her tongue.

Honestly, it would be a bit more helpful if the boys were actually doing something other than watching in apt fascination, but Natsu's concern is palpable and Gajeel has a look on his face that makes Lucy thinks he's anticipating a cat fight or some other ridiculous thing. She rolls her eyes at the thought, sending Gajeel a nasty look, but he only grins back, hiding a smirk behind his coffee.

She hopes he chokes on it.

Beneath the table, Natsu squeezes her thigh, shooting her a sideways glance as he plays with his straw, chewing the end of it between his teeth. He's always had something of an oral fixation, something that's become very apparent to her in light of recent events, but she's noticed it since high school. Natsu's always been chewing on something: his lip, pencils, straws, practically anything.

Lucy leans into his touch, sighing softly and wishing lunch would just be over. As much as she loves feeling awkward in a public establishment, Lucy kind of feels like grabbing her fork and stabbing herself with it. The hospital bills wouldn't be worth it, but at least it would get her out of this mess.

She applauds the boys for trying, but this is definitely up there in her list of top worst dates of all time. Probably third place behind that date with a guy her father set her up with and a very unfortunate night spent with some guy named Hibiki, in which his _other_ girlfriend showed up.

Lucy really should have said no to that date, but it was freshman year and it was the first date she'd gone on on her own accord. She didn't know much about him at the time, other than that he was a part of some odd host clue type thing with his friends. In hindsight that should have been a red flag, but frankly Lucy thought he was joking about that.

Turns out he was not, in fact, joking.

She's pretty sure Hibiki works at the Blue Pegasus in Clover Town now, which is some kind of male strip club. Lucy sincerely hopes that Cana doesn't make good on her promise to take them to a male strip joint for Erza's inevitable bachelorette party. Jellal will popping the question any week now, and Lucy would rather avoid any unnecessary drama. Besides, strip clubs are no fun if everyone is already in a relationship or not interested in _men_.

Lucy isn't entirely sure where she stands with Natsu at this point, but she knows she doesn't like the thought of someone that isn't her giving him a lap dance. And if she had to guess, judging by the hand creeping higher on her leg with every passing minute, she doubts he would be very taken with the idea.

"Natsu," she says suddenly, cutting off his conversation with Gajeel. His head snaps around immediately, eyes wide as she speaks for the first time since spotting Gajeel and Levy waiting for them at the table. Gajeel and Levy both turn to her as well, varying degrees of curiosity on their faces. "If you don't get your hand of my leg in the next two seconds, I'm going to stab you with my fork."

Lucy twirls the silverware threateningly, trying and failing to hide her smile at his wide-eyed look. His mouth drops open slightly, expression owlish, but his hand doesn't leave her leg. In fact, he dares to give her a little squeeze, fingertips slipping under the hem of her skirt for a moment, tickling her.

It's not that she doesn't like his hand where it is, but they are in a very public place and Lucy's frustration has only been growing since this morning. She's not sure how much caressing she can handle before something unfortunate happens.

Gajeel looks an odd mixture of amused and disgusted, and Levy bites her lip to smother a smile, relaxing in her seat slightly, the tension thinning momentarily.

"That's hot," Natsu tells her suddenly, lips twisting into a wide grin. Something dark floods his eyes, Natsu's grip on her growing tighter, fingers daring to slide higher for a moment. His tongue flicks across his lips, which would be entirely innocent if she didn't know exactly where that tongue has been.

Gajeel chokes on his drink, nearly spitting out a mouthful of coffee onto the table. He hacks for a moment. "Eww," he hisses at them, glaring and looking between the two of them in disgust. "What the fuck? I don't wanna know what you two are into." He shakes his head, cringing, and Lucy has to agree with him there.

She, for one, would rather not have Gajeel know what she's into in the bedroom. Not that she's into knife play or whatever stabbing people with kitchen utensils falls under. But if she was, she wouldn't want Gajeel of all people knowing about it. Besides, she can imagine it's not much fun for him to know what his cousin likes to do. That would be like her knowing what Laxus likes to do with his dates.

Lucy gags a little in her mouth, disgust flooding through her. As much as she adores Laxus, she really doesn't want to know about his bedroom habits. She already has some inkling as to what goes on, considering the talk he gave her back when she was sixteen.

Shocking people is certainly not what she would have expected and it grosses her out a little bit to think about.

Natsu shrugs as he lifts his glass to his mouth, grin shit-eating as he looks at Gajeel over the rim. "You'd be surprised," he murmurs in response to Gajeel's disgusted statement.

It startles Levy into a giggle, Gajeel sputtering before sending Natsu a dirty look.

Lucy isn't quite as amused. "Natsu!" she snaps, swatting at him, much to his amusement. He grabs her by the hand, yanking her towards him, and tosses an arm around her shoulders, tucking her tight against his side. She huffs, sending him a dirty look, but settles against him regardless, liking the feel of him pressed against her.

Natsu leans down, pressing his lips to her temple in a quick kiss before he's suddenly dragged into an argument with Gajeel, the two bickering about some nonsense that Lucy doesn't bother listening to, sure it's merely something about food or who's better at what. Honestly, she can only listen to so many of the guys arguments before they get tiresome.

She settles against him easily, dropping her head back to rest against his shoulder as she leeches off his warmth. Her stomach growls, but Lucy ignores it, feeling eyes watching her as her fingers come up to tangle with Natsu's.

Her eyes lock with Levy across the table, and her friend bites at her lower lip as she ducks her head, dyed hair falling into her eyes and shielding her face from view for a moment. Levy peers up again a moment later, gaze jumping from Lucy to Natsu and then Gajeel, as if she doesn't know what to say. Levy doesn't look angry anymore, just sad and confused.

Taking a deep breath, Lucy purses her lips, bracing herself for the conversation they need to have.

"So how've you been?" she asks Levy slowly, forcing a smile onto her face. It feels more like a grimace then anything, Lucy unsure how to bring up what happened. She supposes a more direct approach would be a terrible decision. Their last conversation ended with one of them storming from the building, and as fun as that was, Lucy could do without a repeat.

There's a lull in the boys' conversation, the pair waiting for Levy to respond, which the girl does with a strained smile similar to Lucy's, more awkward than angry.

"Good!" Levy responds almost too brightly. She clears her throat, shifting slightly in her seat, and Gajeel's arm slinks around her waist, giving her a calming squeeze. "I'm good," Levy repeats, relaxing into her boyfriend's side, her smile becoming a bit more natural. "You?"

Natsu's fingers brush against Lucy's palm, a quiet comfort, and she takes a breath before replying. She wishes it wasn't so hard to talk to one of her best friends, their conversation stilted and strange, but they have to ease into that. "Fine. I've been kept busy." She snorts, shaking her head, and Levy suddenly grins.

Levy leans across the table, biting her lip as excitement flashes in her eyes. "Are you still working on your book?" she asks, practically vibrating in her seat, and Lucy giggles, knowing how much of a reader her friend is.

When Lucy first told Levy she wanted to make a career out of writing the other girl screamed and practically demanded she be the first to read anything Lucy finished. She agreed wholeheartedly, trusting Levy's opinions more than most.

She supposes that's why it stung so much when they fought.

"When I can," Lucy tells her, snorting softly. "Between Natsu and work I barely have time for myself," she jokes. Natsu glances down at her, pouting, and reaches up to pinch her nose, making her squeal in surprise. Levy laughs, the awkwardness seeming to melt away from them, at least momentarily.

Levy props her chin onto her hand, sighing and blowing a wayward strand of hair away from her eyes.. "I can believe it." She jerks her chin in Gajeel's direction, reaching over to pat him on the shoulder. "Gajeel says the bar has been crazy lately."

"Well, he's certainly not wrong," Lucy agrees. It's been hectic and the bar has certainly been eating into Lucy's personal time. She's been asked to stay later lately, and Lucy doesn't mind working overtime because Gajeel's dad typically pays well, but she misses getting to spend time with Natsu at night, or the rest of her friends, for that matter. "How's your internship going?"

Levy blanches, nose wrinkling and shrugs. "Okay," she admits, less than impressed. "They promoted me from drowning in paperwork to getting them coffee." She rolls her eyes, less than impressed with her current job, and Lucy bites back a laugh. Levy's been interning for a local publishing company for months now, and is decidedly less than impressed with running errands for people who can't be bothered to remember her name.

"At least you aren't cleaning out the back rooms," Lucy teases, cringing at the idea. She's had jobs like that in the past, and she can safely say they were some of the worst jobs she ever had. Lucy's typically a well organized person, but clearing out storage rooms is the bane of her existence.

She found so many disgusting things when she was interning her second year of college. Used condoms weren't even the worst of it, unfortunately. The months she worked with Jose Porla were quite possibly the worst of her life and she spent many nights complaining to Natsu when he inevitably wound up in her bed.

Levy merely groans, wincing slightly. "I'm sure that'll be next," she grumbles.

Their conversation slips into nothing, and Lucy takes a breath, deciding now is as good a time as any to bring up what happened.

Off to her right, someone clears their throat. Lucy jolts at the sudden presence, then sighs as she peels her gaze away from Levy realizing they'll have to save their conversation for a later time. Levy watches her for a moment longer before turning towards their waitress with a small smile. Lucy tilts her head back, loath to pull away from Natsu.

She smiles at the server immediately, a shy, pretty niece of Aquarius named Aries that Lucy recognizes from several of her classes in college. Aries flashes a small smile as she sees Lucy, pink hair curled in small ringlets and pinned away from her face. "Hi," she greets them, voice devoid of the stutter that plagued her when they were still in school. "I just wanted to let you all know your food will be out in just a few more minutes!" She doesn't stay long, flashing a smile before disappearing off to another table, and the four of them fall into a moment of silence.

Levy clears her throat suddenly, patting Gajeel on the arm before sliding towards the outside of the booth. "I'll be right back," she tells them, a tight smile on her face as her gaze slips to Lucy for a moment. "I have to use the restroom." She turns to mumble something to Gajeel, voice too low to hear and Natsu squeezes her fingers, gaining Lucy's attention when he pinches her thigh.

Automatically, she swats at him, shooing his hand from her leg with a pout. Natsu always has had a thing for pinching, and Lucy can't say that she completely hates it, but she would much rather he not do that in public, lest she accidentally start moaning or something. Granted, that might be his goal.

Lucy glances up at him, frowning slightly, and he jerks his chin sharply in Levy's direction, the pair of them watching as she walks towards the back of the café. Lucy follows her with her eyes, biting her lip as her stomach twists into knots, Lucy suddenly feeling very sick. He wants her to go talk to Levy.

And God does she want to, but Lucy isn't quite sure how Levy will react. She hasn't seemed angry at all today, only quiet, and Lucy isn't entirely sure what to make of it yet. Lucy figures if Levy was still upset she wouldn't even be here now. She's always been headstrong like that. No one has ever gotten Levy McGarden to do anything she didn't want.

She turns her gaze to Gajeel, who gives her a slow nod, encouraging, and a smile that's all teeth. Lucy finds herself grinning back, matching Gajeel's look, before she glances back at Natsu. Giving her fingers a squeeze he leans down to rest his temple against hers. "It'll be okay," he promises, giving her fingers a final tug before releasing her.

"I'll be right back," she tells them, taking a deep breath before sliding out of the booth and following after Levy.

She finds her friend washing her hands, scrubbing vigorously and murmuring something under her breath, frowning in disgust at something on the floor. Lucy shuts the door behind her, finding the room empty save for Levy, both stalls open. The sound of the sink fills the room, loud and constant, and when Levy shuts it off the bathroom goes eerily quiet.

"It was Jet, wasn't it?" Lucy asks quietly, stepping further into the bathroom and walking to Levy's side. Lucy wets her own hands, giving Levy time to think as they both wash up. Lucy gets it. She doesn't know much about what happened between them, but she knows Levy's had a bad experience with a friends with benefits situation. Lucy doesn't blame her for that, she just wishes she could understand.

Because this isn't about her and Natsu, not really.

Levy flinches at the name, eyes squeezing shut as she dries her hands, the paper towel crinkling loudly, the only sound in the room. "Yeah," she admits after a long moment, sighing as she leans back against the sinks, the porcelain edge digging into her lower back as she waits for Lucy to finish. "It was Jet."

Nodding in understanding, Lucy begins drying her own hands, working slowly as she chews her lip in thought. Levy says nothing else, and Lucy doesn't know how far to press. They've only just begun talking again, and she doesn't want to ruin that, but she needs to understand why Levy was so upset. "You never told me what happened," she murmurs, glancing at Levy out of the corner of her eye.

"I never thought anyone needed to know," Levy replies softly, gaze lowering in shame. She curls in on herself slowly, shrinking back against the sink, and Lucy winces as turns to her friend.

For a moment she simply stares, unsure what to say to make things any better. Words always fail her when she needs them most. Lucy can put pen to paper for hours and hours if she wants, but she never seems to know what to say when the situation seems dire.

"Levy…" she starts softly, trailing off, but it catches the other girl's attention. Levy's eyes snap over to her.

"I'm sorry," she blurts, biting her lower lip, an apology in her eyes. "I shouldn't have snapped at you like that," she continues, turning to better face Lucy. Levy's arms curl around her middle nervously, and she shrinks into herself for a moment before meeting Lucy's eyes once again. "Or stormed out, I just—" She cuts off as suddenly as she starts, nose wrinkling as words fail her.

Lucy softens, taking a step closer to Levy, but she hesitates before reaching out. "It's okay," Lucy promises, sending Levy a soft smile. "I wasn't mad. It hurt, but I didn't blame you." It's the truth. They all say things they don't mean at times, hurting each other, even if they don't mean to. Lucy's used to that, thought not from Levy.

She understands though. Levy just didn't want her to make the same mistakes she did, even if she went about saying so in the wrong way.

Nodding, Levy relaxes slightly, the tension dripping from her like water. She flashes Lucy a small smile, more genuine this time, but doesn't say anything for a moment. Lucy doesn't press her, wanting Levy to take her time. "Jet and I—" she starts, but cuts off just as suddenly, wincing. Her lips press into a tight line, her right foot jiggling nervously.

"You don't have to tell me," Lucy reminds her. She doesn't want Levy telling her if it makes her uncomfortable. That time of college was sensitive to Levy, and the last thing Lucy wants to do is dig up bad memories, even if she's already begun to do so. In hindsight, she should have approached the situation with more tact.

Though, there really is no tactful way to bring up past experiences with casual sex. It's a bit like ripping off a band-aid, best to get it over with quickly. There's no point in dancing around the topic. It won't do them any favors.

Levy shakes her head, waving off Lucy. "I want to," she admits, taking a deep breath and steeling herself. Again, she drifts into silence, gaze far off, lost in memories she'd like to forget. Lucy knows the feeling well. They all have skeletons in their closets.

Some more than others.

Shivering, Lucy curls her arms around herself, shaking the thoughts away before they can linger. Lucy leans back against the tile wall of the bathroom, letting the cold seep into her bones and wishing it could chase away her childhood. She releases a heavy breath, glancing sideways at Levy. "What happened?" she asks quietly, voice echoing in the room.

The sink behind Levy begins to leak, droplets pattering against the basin, slow and steady.

"Remember sophomore year?" Levy asks, the question rhetorical. None of them could forget sophomore year, there was too much that happened. Lucy nods anyway, aware of Levy watching her. "I was pissed at Gajeel at the time," she continues, a rueful smile pulling at her lips.

Lucy snorts, shaking her head. That's an understatement if she's ever heard one. Levy was more than pissed. She'd been waiting for nearly two years for Gajeel to finally get over his pride and ask her out on a date. They were playing an odd game of will they won't they and Sophomore year was the proverbial straw that broke the camels back. Levy was the definition of done at that point, and she was ready to walk away from Gajeel without another word.

Things were tense for a while, even between Lucy and Natsu. Levy ended up breaking away from the group for some time, and Lucy rarely saw Gajeel most days, only catching glimpses of him when Natsu and Gray would drag him out for the night. The man was overly snappish at the time. Gajeel was never sunshine and rainbows, but during that time he was especially nasty to everyone.

It wasn't until he made Juvia burst into tears that he finally got over himself and talked to Levy about everything.

The pair started dating less than two weeks later, after avoiding each other for a good three months.

"Everyone was," Lucy grumbles, shaking her head. Gajeel was an ass then, picking fights with everyone and pissing people off left and right. It got to the point where his roommate at the time, Erik, wouldn't let Gajeel back into their room and he ended up having to bunk with Natsu and Gray, which only but the two in horrible moods.

Natsu has only ever snapped at Lucy once in his life, and that was after three weeks of Gajeel rooming with him. He took to sleeping in Lucy's bed after that, desperate to get away from his cousin and his bad attitude. Lucy didn't blame him one bit and welcomed him into her bed easily.

Levy huffs, puffing out her cheeks as she remembers what happened. "He was being an ass and avoiding me and I got tired of waiting," she summarizes, grumbling to herself more than Lucy. Her fingers drum against her arm, but she shakes her head, anger seeping away, replaced with something tired and melancholy. "Jet and I, we were friends before that. We'd known each other since high school, and I just wasn't thinking," she admits.

Lucy remembers that. Levy, Jet, and a man named Droy were practically best friends their first year of college, but things fell apart around the end of sophomore year.

"I hooked up with Jet at a party," she tells Lucy. "It was in March, around spring break." She wrinkles her nose, expression pensive. "We were tipsy and it was… good. Easy."

"Just good?" Lucy can't help but ask, lips quirking into a teasing smile. "Did he finish too fast or something?" She vaguely recalls Jet being on the track team, something that lead to a ridiculous amount of teasing from the other boys. She's heard just about every "quick finish" joke in existence thanks to the boys hanging around her dorm.

"Lucy!" Levy chides, giggling. "Maybe," she jokes. "It didn't matter." Her smile disappears. "We decided it worked and that was that. Neither of us were looking for a relationship and we both made that very clear." Lucy can tell by her tone it didn't last for long. "We kept it casual, hooked up a couple times. We tried hanging out like we always did, but there was nothing there. Not for me." She winces and Lucy flinches, realizing what happened. "Jet he… he wanted something more and I didn't," Levy tells her, nails digging into her arms. "Gajeel and I were starting to work things out at that point, and I didn't want to lead him on." Levy sighs, shaking her head. "He didn't take it well. He said some things and I said some things and… that was it."

Lucy nods, her heart squeezing as she thinks about it. Lucy hasn't seen Jet in months, the man only coming around rarely, his conversations with Levy and Gajeel clipped and awkward. She doesn't want that to happen to her and Natsu. Lucy doesn't know what she would do without him in her life. "You were trying to protect me," she whispers, Levy's anger from before understandable.

Her stomach twists into sick knots.

"No," Levy corrects, "I was just angry." She winces apologetically, reaching out for Lucy's hand and tangling their fingers together, giving a little squeeze. "But you were right. You and Natsu… you aren't me and Jet." She grins up at Lucy, strained but genuine. "Just be careful, okay? I know how much you two care about each other, but things like this… they can get messy," she whispers, voice quiet in the empty room.

Lucy nods, unable to say anything for a long moment. Her throat closes up, hands shaking at her sides. "Does that mean you'll be my shoulder to cry on when this ends horribly?" she tries to joke. Something in her eyes makes Levy wince, and she steps forward into Lucy's arms, pulling her friend into a tight hug.

* * *

Lucy sighs, nosing at Natsu's bare chest as she curls into him on the couch, a movie playing quietly in the background. Humming to herself, Lucy tangles her legs with his, drowsy as she stares at the screen, hardly following the plot of the action film he put in earlier. She's more exhausted than she thought she'd be after spending the day with Gajeel and Levy. After lunch the four of them went rollerblading downtown, and, while immensely entertaining, Lucy is more sore than she would have expected.

Pouting, she buries her face against Natsu's neck, pressing a soft kiss against his pulse when his fingers drag along her spine, hands warm against her bare back. She's given up on wearing clothes around him at this point. Somehow they always end up on the floor and she doesn't see the point. Besides, Natsu is warm enough on his own, and much nicer than one of her shirts.

Though, Lucy considers his shirt laying on the floor a foot away, she wouldn't mind stealing his clothes sometime. His shirts are comfortable and smell like him, and Lucy has no shame in admitting to sniffing him when she has the chance. Natsu's always smelled like wood smoke, a campfire. He smells a little bit like home.

Her fingers draw circles against his chest, Lucy frowning as she thinks about the date. She vaguely recalls him telling her he has another fight coming up, though she doesn't remember when. Usually he's put on a training kick the week before a fight, but so far Natsu's been around just as much as he always is, crawling into bed with her and lazing around until after dawn when he should've already been up and working out.

Lucy's hand wanders down his stomach, fingers tracing the defined muscles of his torso. Yeah, she definitely appreciates those workouts. She'd thank Laxus for putting him through so many intense workouts if she didn't think it would be weird. Lucy loves her cousin, she does, but she'd rather not discuss her thing for Natsu's muscles with him.

"Your match is this weekend, right?" Lucy asks him suddenly, curling tighter against his chest as his arm loops around her back, Natsu turning to mouth at her hair. She shivers as his hot breath ghosts her ear, her thighs rubbing together to distract herself from the ache that's been bothering her all day.

He really should have waited until after they were finished this morning. Damn him for being noble.

Subtly, Lucy grinds her hips down against his, hoping he gets the message.

Natsu's hands settle low on her hips, fingers digging into her skin as he presses her tighter against his crotch, a low sound escaping his throat. She hide a smile against his neck, mouth latching onto his throat as she nips at him. "No," Natsu groans out, tilting his head to the side to give her better access to his skin, a sigh pulling from his chest as Lucy nibbles on a sensitive spot, hickey still fading on his skin. "Two weeks," he corrects her.

Lucy pauses in marking his neck, frowning. She distinctly remembers him say two weeks the day they woke up at his apartment, the night of the meteor shower. Granted, she was a bit distracted by his mouth at the time, but she knows what she heard. "They moved it?" she guesses, fingertips slipping below the waistband of his shorts for a moment, just enough to tickle him.

He hums his agreement, pulling her from his neck as his fingers lace through her long hair. "Laxus will be out of town Saturday," he mumbles against her lips, kissing the corner of her mouth gently. "They agreed to push the fight back two weeks for extra training time." Natsu peppers soft kisses on her lips as he speaks, making Lucy giggle.

"Hey," he murmurs a moment later, "did you ever tell Laxus about this?" he asks, not allowing her time to answer before dragging her down into a kiss that's meant to be quick. Lucy holds him in place before he can pull back, shifting so that her legs are on either side of his hips, mouth moving against his languidly, Natsu warm and pliant beneath her.

She pulls back long enough to ask, "No, do you want me to?" before he pulls her back down with a frustrated growl. His tongue sweeps into her mouth easily, running along the back of her teeth and tickling the roof of her mouth before he pulls back to nip at her bottom lip. He worries it between his teeth, the cool metal of his lip piercing making her shiver against him as he releases her with a wet pop.

"God no," Natsu tells her suddenly, in answer to her question. "He'd kill me!"

She rolls her eyes, grinding down against him. "Laxus likes you," she argues, scoffing. Natsu quirks a brow at her, unimpressed and disbelieving. "He tolerates you," she corrects, leaning in to steal another kiss.

"I don't think he'd be tolerating me if he knew I was fucking you," he grumbles against her lips, Lucy shivering at his words. Natsu's hands suddenly twitch against her hips, fingers suddenly groping at her ass, and Lucy gasps as he jerks her upwards, dragging her towards the end of the couch until her spread thighs are nestled on either side of his head.

Lucy has half a moment to process that she's sitting on his face before his thumb brushes along the lace between her legs, the digit coming away slick and wet. She coos, arching into him, and Natsu's hot mouth skims along her sensitive skin, his rough tongue lapping at the juncture of her thigh and pelvis as his finger traces her slit through her damp underwear.

"Natsu," she murmurs, gasping as his thumb brushes against her clit, sending a jolt through her entire body. He grins against her thigh, his thumb rolling against her clit in slow circles. "What are you doing?" she asks, fingers finding his hair and twisting through the bright strands, tugging when he hooks a finger inside her panties, pulling them aside slightly.

Lucy glances down, a deep blush settling across her face as her gaze locks with wicked, green eyes. Natsu stares up at her from between her spread thighs, smirking against her skin. "I said I'd make it up to you," he reminds her, low and rough and Lucy doesn't have a moment to breathe before he forces her down lower, his lips finding her clit easily, tongue tapping against her wonderfully..

"Oh, god," she chokes out, head tilting back as she moans, needy hips pressing tighter against him. She feels him smile against her center, Natsu playing with her clit as one hand guides her hips to roll against him, his free hand slipping between her thighs.

Two fingers slip inside of her easily, and she sighs as they curl within her, Natsu knowing exactly where to touch to make her squirm. And Natsu seems determined to make her squirm tonight. "Fuck, Lucy, you're dripping," he purrs beneath her, a shiver wracking her body as his voice reaches her. Without giving her time to respond, he suckles on her clit gently, teasing her. It drags a low moan of his name from Lucy and his prodding fingers twist inside of her in return, dragging out slowly before plunging back in hard enough to make her back arch, her hips jumping down against him.

He chuckles, the vibrations teasing her clit, and she mewls as he guides her to ride his hand, her hips grinding down against him. Natsu snaps his fingers into her roughly, pulling a choked sob from Lucy as she curls down over his head, tugging at his hair as she shivers.

"Natsu," she gasps as he nips her clit, Lucy's eyes rolling back as her bones hum, Lucy close to toppling over the edge. Her stomach clenches pleasantly, Natsu pressing sloppy kisses against the top of her mound and against her thighs. His hand picks up a faster pace, moving inside of her roughly. While shallow, the strokes are hard enough to make her whine, Lucy biting her lip to keep from being too loud.

They've already gotten several noise complaints lately, and Lucy doesn't exactly feel like losing her apartment.

Her eyes fly open as he nicks a spot inside her, fingers rubbing harshly inside of her as his mouth finds her clit once again, tongue teasing her until she can't even _think_. "Yes," she hisses, shivering when he chuckles. She mewls when his fingers twist inside her. "Natsu, please," she pants, letting need slip into her voice, knowing he likes in when she begs.

Natsu pauses the movement of his tongue, allowing her to catch her breath despite the fingers still moving roughly inside of her. He inhales sharply when she whimpers, Lucy unable to make anything more than needy sounds, as he grinds her down against him.

" _Fuck_ ," he growls before ducking down to envelope her clit between his lips, sucking hard. "You taste so fucking good," he mumbles to her, groaning against her core as he tastes her. Lucy shrieks, the sound slipping into a moan as he laps at her, fingers doing something wonderful inside of her. He beckons her closer to the edge, fingers twisting and curling as he drags them along her insides, prodding at a spot that makes her let out a little sob.

Lucy whimpers, hips swiveling to meet his hands, shamelessly rising to meet the fast motions of his hand. A rough thrust causing her head to fly back, her nails digging into the back of his neck. He groans against her, rolling her clit with his tongue before taking it between his teeth.

Natsu sucks at her clit again, his sharp teeth brushing against her swollen nub, and she can feel herself tipping over the edge. It isn't enough, not quite, and she realizes with mild embarrassment that she needs him _talk_ to her.

Lucy never once fancied herself a fan of dirty talk before, but here she his on the brink of insanity, shivering and whimpering but unable to let go without hearing his voice.

Seeming to know what she needs, Natsu's mouth leaves her wet heat, pulling away enough to pant her name, fingers relentless as he buries them deep inside her. "Show me, Lucy," he murmurs, growling as she twitches against him, his fingers twisting inside of her. "Come on, Baby." He takes her clit back between his lips once more, pinching it between his teeth.

Lucy moans his name as she falls apart, muscles clamping down on his relentless fingers as cums on his hand. Natsu grins against her, fingers not stopping until she's a quivering mess above him, her walls clenching and unclenching around his hand, sucking at his fingers.

His hand slowly as she goes limp above him, the contractions stopping and Lucy panting as he pulls his fingers from inside her, hand leaving a wet trail against her thigh. Natsu noses at her skin, tongue dragging along her flesh as he laps up the juices dripping from her core.

"You satiated now?" he mumbles, smug, drawing a long, slow lick along her slit. Her hips jump against him, sensitive, and Lucy simply feels too good to bicker with him.

Slowly, she worms her way beck down his chest, Natsu helping her along as her legs wobble beneath her. Worn out, Lucy drops down against his chest, tucking herself beneath Natsu's chin as he chuckles. He noses at her hair, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead.

* * *

 **AN: I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this chapter, but I introduced the Lucy/Levy conflict and needed to wrap that up. Also the smut was kind of a last minute add on, because I felt like a 6K chapter was a bit too short. (I would have written about the rollerblading, but I feel like that would have dragged on, and I'm under a bit of a time crunch. Not that I'm guessing most of you are disappointed about smut showing up.).**

 **Thanks for the reviews last chapter! I'm going to try to update this one every Saturday until it's done, but we'll see how that works out lmao. Also, be sure to continue reviewing! Though I do want to finish this fic, if reviews/general views stay down, I'm not likely to bother updating this once per week. Not for lack of want, but there are several fics I'm working on, and my priority is to update the ones most people care about.**


	6. Announcement

Hey everyone! I know this is probably not the update you want to see, but I just wanted to say that Benefits is going to be having some large renovations. When I was writing this I was focusing too much on hitting a word count instead of focusing on what mattered.

After thinking about things for a while, I've decided that I'm basically going to be starting this fic over. Not completely, but there are things I want to switch around.

Anyway! I will probably be deleting some chapters, chapters we've already read will show up later in the fic, and new chapters will be added!

I just wanted to let you all know about this now! I'll be starting edits super soon, so I'll probably be doing a lot of chapter splitting and adding the things I originally wanted to. I just feel like a lot of the chapters would work better if they were shifted and slit and hindsight is a bitch lmao. I will be stating at the beginning of chapters whether the scene is new or not, but I'm about half-way through chapter 6 and I realized I'm not happy with the things I cut and it just wasn't working for me. The setting is going to change a little, with it taking place during the college semester instead of summer, so please note that!

I really wouldn't feel right if I finished this fic and wasn't happy with it, and it's not really fair for you readers to be given something I half-assed, because that would show in the writing. I have a lot of things that will be added, so stay tuned for that! There'll be a tad less smut (or, at least it'll be spread out slightly more), but i feel like it'll work better as an actual fic instead of just a smut dump...

Anyway, please be patient with me for a while! I'll be able to get chapters out much faster with them being shorter, and I'm hoping to post a new chapter next Saturday!

(note, this AN will be deleted before I begin posting chapters again)


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